The main building of Santa Marta was commonly called the Panificio, and it is where the bread and biscuits, the central element of the soldiers’ diet, were cooked. On the ground floor of the Panificio, twelve ovens used to cook 52000 daily rations of bread and 20 quintals of biscuits. In the basement, perishable products were stored and their freshness was maintained by a natural venting system. Other depots were located in the upper stories. The creators of the building left their mark on a column in the atrium, where we can find the manes and coat-of-arms of Andreas Tunkler, director of the Genie of Verona, Ferdinand Artmann, expert of the catering corps, and Anton Narefi-Rainer, who probably carried out the architectural project and the particular “Nordic” style of the building.
Currently, the Panificio is being restored in order to become an extension of the University of Verona.
Inside the complex, we can also find to huge buildings, smaller than the Panificio, that were the used as Silos. Originally, a train would arrive at the nearby station of Porta Vescovo, then proceed to enter the city through Porta Campofiore and stop between the two silos. As of today, we can still see the old rails in the closed gate of Campofiore, and some of them still remain in a small section of Santa Marta.
Once the train was stopped between the silos, the grain was lifted with elevators and conserved in tanks covered in plate sheets, protected from humidity and mould. It was drawn by gravity through a tubing system. Sadly, none of the original elements remain from this then highly advanced technological complex.
Today, one of the silos has been renovated to house the Faculty of Economy from the University of Verona. It is therefore common to see students entering and exiting the complex on their way to classes.
The other buildings inside the complex were used by the Austrian soldiers while the complex was producing food. While some of them are not declared safe to inhabit by the authorities, others were restored and are now the headquarters of several Associations.
Section of this text were adapted from Stocker, Mirjiam; Pierre, Elodie; et. al. (eds). Guida Al Parco Delle Mura e Dei Forti di Verona – Un Parco da Vivere. Legambiente Volontariato Verona. 2010.
