The Municipality of Ventimiglia has unanimously approved a plan to develop land owned by Monaco’s Princely Family for a major real estate project that includes an innovative large-scale botanical school. The development will be a win-win for both Italy and Monaco.
The bold redevelopment of the neighbouring Italian city of Ventimiglia continues, this time with the approval of a major project that will see the Principality invest in the development of land owned by the Grimaldi Family on foreign soil.
Future plans for the former Cava Grimaldi (quarry) in Ventimiglia provides for the construction of a 10,000 square metre real estate complex for residential and tourist purposes. This will be supplemented by approximately 4,000 square metres of ancillary structures as well as around 7,000 square metres of private parking spaces and garages with 170 dedicated spaces.
It is a structure that is designed to meet the needs of the Principality, which is in desperate need of new spaces to handle the overflow from its densely structured territory. The initiative is a continuation of Monaco’s acquisition of the port of Cala di Forte, also in Ventimiglia, which is used as a complementary reception point for the Ports of Monaco.
At the heart of the project – a new botanical school
The project includes the redevelopment of a 22,000 square metre plot of land owned by the Principality of Monaco in the Vallone del Rio Sorba, where an innovative international botanical school linked to the Villa Hanbury gardens will be created. It will be equipped with classrooms, auditoriums, and residences for students, as well as laboratories for processing local food products, and an oil mill. A public square will provide around 100 parking spaces and four bus parking spaces for students and visitors.
See also: New Borgo del Forte hotel-residence project in Ventimiglia unveiled
The international school of botany is an important project that has been in the making for many years now, and it is considered a key aspect to Ventimiglia’s economic development. It will be surrounded by a public park and will be able to accommodate up to 800 students. If all goes to plan, it could open its doors as early as autumn 2026.
The former Monaco quarry will also host a regional park that will be available to the public thanks to a modernised network of pedestrian and cycling paths, connecting the hamlets of Grimaldi, Mortola and Castello Appio. The historic-archaeological route from the Roman era called Iulia Augusta, the cycle and pedestrian path and the municipal coastal area will also be restored.
THE NEXT STEPS
After being approved unanimously by local councillors on 2nd February, a project agreement is now expected to be signed between the Municipality of Ventimiglia and the Grimaldi family, which divides the administrative and construction procedures of the former Cava Grimaldi between the public and private sectors, and the University of Genoa, as manager of Hanbury Gardens. The Liguria Region will be responsible for the Piano Urbanistico Comunale (Communal Urban Planning Plan) and the Piano Territoriale di Coordinamento Paesistico (Territorial Plan for Landscape Coordination), while the Principality of Monaco will be responsible for the design and execution of the work to secure the areas as well as preparing and submitting the draft town planning agreement to the administration and the documentation for building permits.
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