The first edition of the Summer School took place from July 23rd to August 1st, 2021, and the core case study was the adaptive reuse of the ghost town of Castelvecchio: after an on-site inspection in Castelvecchio, participants worked in teams to develop reuse proposals for an abandoned medieval town, iterating daily through reviews and “learning-by-doing” workshop sessions. The didactic framework was strengthened by lectures and critiques from international practices—including Barozzi Veiga, Meritxell Inaraja, ARCHEA, Tortelli e Frassoni Architetti Associati—alongside Italian university professors.
The initiative was anchored by local institutional partners, such as the Gruppo Storico Castelvecchio. The workshop concluded with a public final review and exhibition.
THE GHOST TOWN OF CASTELVECCHIO
Castelvecchio is a medieval town of uncertain origin, probably built between the VI and the IX sec. as a fortified village on top of a hill.
It soon became the main fortified outpost of San Gimignano against its enemies, due to the proximity to the Southern border.
After the end of multiple wars, Castelvecchio suffered various plagues that caused its depopulation and abandonment since the second half of the XV century.
It has been forgotten until 1979, when a group of volunteers found it out again and started a sequence of archaeological campaigns to bring it back to light.
Participants were asked to design an adaptive reuse proposal for the ghost town of Castelvecchio, to conceive the entire town as a new art center, a place dedicated to artists’ ateliers, exhibitions, performances and conferences.
THE GHOST TOWN OF CASTELVECCHIO
Castelvecchio is a medieval town of uncertain origin, probably built between the VI and the IX sec. as a fortified village on top of a hill. It soon became the main fortified outpost of San Gimignano against its enemies, due to the proximity to the Southern border.After the end of multiple wars, Castelvecchio suffered various plagues that caused its depopulation and abandonment since the second half of the XV century. It has been forgotten until 1979, when a group of volunteers found it out again and started a sequence of archaeological campaigns to bring it back to light.
Participants were asked to design an adaptive reuse proposal for the ghost town of Castelvecchio, to conceive the entire town as a new art center, a place dedicated to artists’ ateliers, exhibitions, performances and conferences.
GUESTS
BAROZZI VEIGA
M. INARAJA
ARCHEA
G. TORTELLI
PROF. SABATINI
PROF.BEVILACQUA
PROF. DE VITA
GALLERY
