Castles of Abruzzo.

This project is focused on preservation and valorization of castles in Abruzzo (IT). The restoration of ancient Palazzo Castelli in Carunchio, Chieti - now serving as a wine resort, gives way to the establishment of a territorial network of castles in Abruzzo.

This project begins with a study of the building and moves on to the analysis of restoration and repurposing of Palazzo Castelli according to the themes of local business and identity, as well as valorization of the historic centre of Carunchio.\r\nThe mansion overlooks the fortified town of Carunchio, flanked by river Treste and nestled in a natural park of great beauty.\r\nThe structure was built between the fifteenth and twentieth centuries on the remains of an ancient medieval watchtower and owes its name to the noble family of Castelli, who settled there around 1600.\r\nThe building develops on three levels: a semi-basement floor with entrance hall, atrium, warehouses, courtyards, a medieval trappeto and mill; the main floor with a ballroom, now dominated by a courtyard formed by multiple collapses, and a third level with a number of rooms.\r\nElements of valorization of the historic centre outlined in the project include a panoramic public park adjacent to the palace, green play areas near wall-houses, new pedestrian and cycle paths and lighting elements running along medieval walls. \r\nInterventions on Palazzo Castelli start from consolidation of the existing building. Wall bays are used to protect the building, filling the gaps in the walls, and a new filter masonry reinterprets the original construction technique.\r\nA corner of the building damaged by war bombings becomes a secret garden formed by metal cages and stone elements that recreate the collapsed volumes, acting as a filter between building interiors and the outside.\r\nRoofs and floors have been redesigned to allow the use of interiors, while collapsed vaults are recalled by a structure of wooden slats shaped like original pavilion vaults.\r\nFinally, rooms of the palace are given new purpose according to development phases of the structure. Oldest spaces house a cellar, a gastronomic wine shop, and a trappeto exhibition. In newest areas a wine spa, recreational rooms and ateliers can be found.