Heritage talks spring hope for Italian restaurant revival

Kolkata: Resurrection of Peliti’s restaurant, which used to be a landmark

Italian

restaurant on Old Court House Street opposite Governor’s house, may be a kick-off point for a long-term Bengal-Italy cooperation in

heritage

regeneration in Kolkata. City police chief Soumen Mitra, who has been instrumental in restoration of many police heritage buildings, showed a keen interest in taking part in the revival of a precious piece of the city’s cosmopolitan history at an event on heritage conservation in the city on Monday.

Vincenzo de Luca, Ambassador of Italy, said, “The restoration of Peliti can be a good starting point for Bengal-Italy cooperation in the heritage regeneration of the city which should assume a movement involving stakeholders from different institutions as it happened in the heritage movement in cities like Bologna and Naples.” Mitra promptly assured an active cooperation in the restoration and preservation of such buildings.

Earlier, professor Tathagata Chatterjee, an urban management and governance expert, set the tone of the symposium at Bengal Chamber of Commerce by mentioning Peliti to refer to the long connection of Kolkata with Italy. He also referred to Italian architectural influence on the city’s colonial buildings.

Chevalier Federico Peliti, a master chef, started his restaurant and confectionery business in 1870. Famous for the three-course lunch, the restaurant was also known for 12-ft high replica of the Eiffel Tower in sugar, crafted by Peliti himself in December 1889. It was here that Rotary Club of Calcutta was born in 1919. The building is now in a shambles and needs urgent restoration. Luca promised to share the famous Italian experience and expertise in the process of heritage regeneration.

Mitra, Manish Chakraborty, a conservation architect, and G M Kapur, INTACH’s Bengal convenor, all advocated for the transfer of development right (TDR) in the state to save more and more heritage buildings, which have become liability for the property owners. In fact, the state government is also very keen in incorporating TDR in the building law.


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