YAC Open competition
finalist
hospitality and reception center for pilgrims
w/ Vincenzo Giusti, Marco Mannino, Daniele Ragno
Tuscania
Lazio
Italy
September 2024
The extraordinary value of San Pietro in Tuscania is declared by Cesare Brandi who defines this place as one of the poles from which Italian Romanesque architecture originates; the monumental complex stands on the hill that was an Etruscan acropolis and in a territory, Tuscia, shaped over time by works made “to remove” and by underground structures. In San Pietro we can identify various elements with an archetypal character that enter into mutual tension: tall and massive structures and abstract textures of wall fragments that emerge from the ground.
Starting from these assumptions, the project was defined which consists of a structure “excavated” in the ground exploiting the slope on the north side of the hill; the incision in the ground defines an open space oriented like the Basilica and facing Santa Maria Maggiore, intended to welcome pilgrims. From this space you can access the services and accommodation, barely perceptible on the surface in the topographical configuration of the land. Access to the walled enclosureand the churchyard is made up of an open-air room that leads to the sacred area.
The works in the project are inscribed in the context in a latent way, leaving the profile of the hill intact; the planned construction technique, load-bearing structures with gabion walls without foundations, beams and floors in metal carpentry, is inspired by principles of sustainability and removability.
