An artistic and symbolic intervention capable of transforming a place of passage and frontier into a space for reflection, encounter and connection between peoples, cultures and territories: the reference is to the new Third Paradise project on the border between Italy and France, promoted by the Municipality of Ventimiglia and realised with the support of ANAS – FS Italiane Group. The work - conceived and designed by Alessandro Lacirasella (for the artist) and the architect Emanuele Bottigella (for Cittadellarte) - has been installed in the Balzi Rossi border area, an extremely significant point from a geographical, historical and human perspective.

The previous installation
A Third Paradise installation was already present in this location, inaugurated on 12 April 2017 and created in collaboration with the Municipality of Ventimiglia, the Education Department of the Castello di Rivoli and the Pigna Mon Amour association of Sanremo. The intervention was composed of boulders used for the construction of artificial marine barriers, arranged according to the Third Paradise symbol conceived by Michelangelo Pistoletto.

The impact
With the passage of time, that site spontaneously assumed the value of a memorial dedicated to migrants: a space where objects, coloured stones, messages and dedications were left as tokens of memory and collective participation directed towards all the people who crossed that border in an attempt to seek a different future. The symbol of the Third Paradise thus became a sign of shared humanity, capable of welcoming stories, hopes and vulnerabilities linked to one of the most delicate and symbolic points in Europe.

From the past to the future
The new installation, pre-inaugurated on Wednesday, 3 June, ideally embraces this legacy, translating it into a permanent, public and shared form. The sculpture is made of painted iron and reproduces the symbol of the Third Paradise through a chromatic weave inspired by primary colours and the shades of the Italian and French flags. The dialogue between red, blue, green, white, yellow and their nuances becomes a visual metaphor for the encounter between different identities, which, whilst maintaining their own specificity, find a possibility for relationship, coexistence and mutual recognition. Placed within the new traffic layout of the State border, the work takes shape as a true symbolic gateway between two European nations. Here, the Third Paradise assumes the meaning of a central space of connection: not a separation, but a place of conscious passage, where the border can transform from a dividing line into a point of relationship and dialogue.

Preventive Peace
The project is also part of a broader reflection on the role of art in public spaces and on the capacity of contemporary infrastructure to accommodate cultural, social and human values. In this sense, the support of ANAS – FS Italiane Group represents the willingness to integrate art, landscape and mobility into a shared vision of the territory, capable of restoring meaning and identity to strategic public places.

The new work of the Third Paradise thus becomes a permanent symbol of Preventive Peace, common responsibility and connection between different communities, located at one of the most emblematic points of the Mediterranean and contemporary Europe: a place where geographies, histories and destinies continue to meet on a daily basis.