The subject of our project is the town of Rocca di Papa, an old historic center nearby Rome.

The evolution and changes of the town from the 1950’s represent the point of interest of the study.

The advent of the cars revolutionated the public spaces of the town, with the main consequence that the former meeting points have become today nothing but traffic circles.

Nevertheless, it is still possible to find quite a few abandoned places within the town .
So here we are at the project… the idea is to rethink one of these abandoned places as a driving element, with the main focus of renovating the town .

The idea of creating a playground is the most suitbable for the context.
In absence of public spaces where to meet and play, children not only are the most disadvantaged ones , but also become a very strong potential vehicles of social cohesion.
A significant part of the inhabitants are immigrants, still far from being integrated within the local community. One of the few occasions where the adults from different ethniticies can get together is by having their children sharing a common public space: the playground becomes a meeting point for both children and parents, where the latter can exchnage views and learn about each others’ cultures.

The project focuses on a specific site, but it is of  inserted in a global context.
The objective is to renew, within the next future, all abandoned places of the historic center, by creating a series of small urban interventions which shall reach every corner of the town.
Just as a red line passing through the maze of the houses towards the playgrounds.

The concept is based on two elements:

1. the topography of the town, mostly characterized by climbs and stairs. As of today, this structure is preceived as a barrier for the town, but we want to put such perception in discussion, how? Rendering this structure a source of enternainment,, through slides, clibing walls, swings;
2. the space of the project will be characterized by just one element, in its mutliple expressione. this element, a counter, will become our “fil rouge“.

In collaboration with Arch. Angelica Palumbo