Vernacular Architecture of Southern Italy - Travel guide

content

03 program

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Naples – urban development Melanie Wolfrum & Christine Hemke

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Naples – transport and infrastructure projects Wasim Wafei

XX Posilippo

Wasim Wafei XX Capri

Isis Desmaison XX

Vesuv and its burried cities Pompeij / Erculaneum / Villa Oblontis

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Syracus – urban development Annalena Janßen

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Ragusa – urban development Timo Treuner

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Catania – urban development Mathilde Vogelaer

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Aetna / Aetna region Mouamen Hafez

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Taormina – urban development Mouamen Hafez

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Palermo – urban development Jovana Marinkvic & Janina Zell

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program

day / date

place

time

...

topic / project / architect individual arrival / individual check-in accommodation

friday, 04.03

adress / contact

naples

b&b hotel napoli piazza garibaldi 32 (main train station), 80142 naples napoli@hotelbb.com 0039 081 283122

naples _ the historic city / overview 7:30

breakfast at the hotel

9:00 9:00-10:30

meeting at the university lecture „mediterranean house“ visit to ancient core of the greek-roman city (spaccanapoli...) visit of the underground archaeologycal city „napoli sotterranea“

prof. angelina picone naples university, dipartimento di architettura - via forno vecchio, 36 adelina.picone@unina.it 0039 339 786 8870 guided tour by prof. angelina picone & local master students

funicolare di montesanto: > tour to the top of the vomero/ areal view from castel s. elmo and walk through the city’s layers of history, e.g. > spaccanapoli / courtyard houses / palazzi / open stair case houses (palazzo dello spagnolo, via vergini 19) / …

guided by melanie & christine

10:30-12:00 12:00

refurbishment of montesanto station (2011) silvio d’ascia accommodation saturday, 05.03

naples / posillipo

naples _ the modern city posillipo _ villa architecture 8:00

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breakfast at the hotel

b&b hotel napoli

program

day / date

place

time

topic / project / architect

adress / contact

transport & infrastructure projects, e.g. > piazza garibaldi (d. perrault) > metro line 1 (art metro line) 11:00

visit of villa oro (1934-37) luigi cosenza + bernhard rudofsky further villa examples: > villa savarese, luigi cosenza (1936-42) > villa crespi, davide pacanowski (1952)

sunday, 06.03

capri

matteo or giancarlo cosenza (via evelyn) posillipo, via orazio 27 posillipo, via scipione capece 14 posillipo, via felice minucio 3-7

the work of luigi cosenza, further projects, / contemporary architecture e.g.: > mercato ittico di napoli / fish market (1929-42) > nucleo edilizio ina olivetti / housing project (1952-63)

prof. luigi stendardo

accommodation

b&b hotel napoli

naples, piazza duca degli abruzzi pozzuoli, via terracciano 19

walking on capri 8:00

breakfast at the hotel > metro 1 to varco immacolatella vecchia

9:00 10:25

departure from calata porta di massa harbour caremar ferry boat naples - capri

caremar, calata porta di massa

via krupp walk / grotta di matromania / arco naturale / phoenician steps / ‌ > areal views and sketching on the walking tour

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day / date

place

time

20:15 – 21:05 monday, 07.03

vesuvio / erculaneo

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adress / contact

casa malaparte, adalberto libera (1938)

dr. alessia rositani-suckert studio rositani allesia@casamalaparte. com

villa jovis

via tiberio, 80073 capri +39 081-8570381

ferry boat capri-naples

caremar

accommodation

b&b hotel napoli

mount vesuvio and its burried cities 8:00

breakfast at the hotel

9:00

circumvesuviana train > from main train station to ercolano-scavi

public transport

historical sites of herculaneum / ercolano

via dei papiri ercolanesi (nuovo ingresso)

villa oplontis

via sepolcri, torre annunziata

museo archaeologico nazionale

piazza museo nazionale, napoli opening hours: 9:0019:30

intercitynotte 1955 sleeper train to siracusa

napoli centrale – siracusa cuccete c4 – reservations for 4-berth compartments

23:58

tuesday, 08.03

topic / project / architect

siracusa

mount vesuvio and its burried cities 9:36

arrival in siracusa train station check-in hotel mastrarua

11:00

siracusa _ walk through the old city / ortygia

day / date

wednesday, 09.03

place

time

topic / project / architect

adress / contact

15:00

parco archeologico della neapolis > steinbrüche / ohr des dionysus

via paradiso 14, opening hours: 9:0017:30

accommodation

hotel mastrarua via vittorio veneto 193 ortygia, siracusa 0039 3357626580

ragusa / catania

day trip to ragusa / marina di ragusa / catania 7:00 8:00

breakfast / walk to train station meeting at the train station > 1,15h bus trip siracusa – ragusa

ragusa

marina di ragusa

9:30

ragusa / ragusa ibla_ walk through the old city

11:30

> office giuseppe gurrieri > casa dcs (2014) giuseppe gurrieri and valentina giampiccolo

giuseppe gurrieri via archimede 278 97100 ragusa 0039 3451228274

13:30

> 0.25h bus trip ragusa – marina di ragusa

tumino autotransporti

14:00

a2m social housing (20052012) m. giuseppina grasso cannizzo and nunzio gabriele sciveres

15:30

> 1,20h bus trip marina di ragusa – buccheri

17:00

casa bf, buccheri (2006) tuttiarchitetti > 1,10h bus trip buccheri – catania

catania

tumino autotransporti

19:00

tumino autotransporti

tumino autotransporti

check-in / individual walk through the city

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day / date

thursday, 10.03

place

time

catania palermo

etna, crateri silvestri

passopisciaro

topic / project / architect

adress / contact

accommodation

gianluca’s rooms, piazza stesicoro 59, 95100 catania 0039 346 027 7221

day trip to etna / taormina 7:00

breakfast

8:00

pick-up from the hostel > 1h bus trip catania – etna

9:00

walk around crater

9:30

> 1,30h bus trip enta – passopisciaro

tumino autotransporti

11:00

restructuring of sciaranuova farm / vineyards (2013) gaetano gulino / santi gaetano albanese

gaetano gulino 0039 0925-75621 planeta, via guardiola, contrada sciara nuova, 95012 castiglione di sicilia, gps: 37°859934, 15°017556 dario piluso +39 3270108284

> visit / wine tasting at sciaranuova farm

taormina

cantina feudo di mezzo winery gaetano gulino / santi gaetano albanese

planeta winery 95012 castiglione di sicilia gps: 37°52‘40.33“n 15° 2‘39.18“e

14:00

> 1h bus trip feudo di mezzo – taormina

tumino autotransporti

15:00

taormina_walk through the city

17:30

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tumino autotransporti

teatro antico di taormina

http://www.parconaxostaormina.it/en/ taormina-tauromenion

> 3h bus trip taormina – palermo

tumino autotransporti

day / date

friday, 11.03

place

time

topic / project / architect

adress / contact

palermo

20:30

accommodation

hotel palazzo savona via schioppettieri 8, la kalsa 0039 0916114731

palermo

city development / overview 8:00

breakfast at the hotel

9:00

walk through the city

official end of the excursion accommodation saturday, 12.03

palermo

hotel palazzo savona

individual breakfast at the hotel accommodation

sunday, 13.03

palermo

hotel palazzo savona

individual breakfast at the hotel accommodation

monday, 14.03

palermo

hotel palazzo savona

individual breakfast at the hotel ...

check-out / individual departure

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gulf of naples

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naples

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capri

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sicily

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ragusa

marina di ragusa

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syracusa

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catania

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palermo

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palermo inner city

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Castle Capuano, 17th century

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Ancient pattern of Neapolis

Via dei Tribunali, around 700

floorplan San Lorenzo Maggiore

San Lorenzo Maggiore

naples – urban development the antique city up to today

Greeks and Romans Around 750 B.C. Greek settlers found the first colony Cumae in Italy.

Followed by the colony Parthenope, handicraft and trading flourished and the growing population needed more space. Thereupon the settlers founded Neapolis (new city) and renamed Pathenope into Palaípolis (old city).

Around 474 B.C. the city extended because of the victory against the Etruscans.

The Greeks arranged the city with the grid pattern after the concept of Hippodamus of Milet. The structure consists of three main streets going from East to West called Decumanus, and one street called Cardo (north to south) crosscutting the three Decumanus.

In the centre of this structure was an Agora. Typically Decumanus‘ went from north to south and Cardo ran from East to West, but the Greeks changed the orientation in Naples.

Until today this greek pattern is visible in the old city center. Typical housing in Neapolis was the courtyard house.

Hereon follows the conquering of Naples by the Romans in the fourth century B.C. The pleasant climate made it a renowned resort, manifested in the numerous luxurious villas that dotted the coast from the Gulf of Pozzuoli to the Sorrentine peninsula.

The Romans maintained the street structure of Hippodamus but instead of an Agora they had a Forum in the centre. Furthermore the they connected the city to the rest of Italy with their famous roads, enlarged the port, and added public baths and aqueducts to improve the quality of life in Naples.

79 A.C. the volcano Vesuv erupted and destroyed Pompeji and Herculaneum.

From Byzantine to French Kingdom After the collapse of the Roman Empire, Naples became part of the Byzantine Empire in the sixth century until the French sovereignty in the 12th century. Naples became the capital of the Royal House Anjou. During that time a lot of castles, churches and abbeys established. Architectural evidences are everywhere in the city eventhough modifications during the Middle Ages affect the original character of the buildings now.

Spanish Conqueror Around 1503 the Spanish conquered Naples and the city extended uncontrollably.

With the construction of Via Toledo and Via Chiaia a new urban development started.

Many Palaces, new churches and abbeys emerged. The Baroque dominates the architectural design. One important and significant type is the staircase house. The open staircase is situated facing the backyard and therefor emphazises the arrangement of the house more than the main façade. Especially for Spanish troops the so called „Quartieri Spagnoli“ was edified. The grid pattern structure of the quarter (18 by 12 streets) and the six storied houses with roof terraces and central courtyards are distinctive and still evident today. During the Spanish Era Naples had been the biggest city of Italy, including highest density of population but also poverty.

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Quartieri Spagnoli (Spanish Quarter)

Palazzo Reale

Teatro San Carlo

Piazza Plebiscito, around 1900

Piazza Nicola Amore, 1894

Galleria Umberto I, around 1900

naples – urban development the antique city up to today

Bourbon Kingdom Under the sovereignty of the Bourbon King in the 17th century Naples became a metropolitan city. Public buildings emerged instead of churches. One of the most important architectural evidences ist the Teatro San Carlo. However the influence of the Bourbon Era is more apparent ouside of the inner city of Naples.

Kingdom of Italy 1860 ends the foreign rule and Naples is united to the Kingdom of Italy. Due to the high density of population, new urban developments should solve the problem. Therefore new quarters around the hills arose and the slums at the harbour were smoothed. But fundamental changes did not occur. The residential areas and mansions where influenced by Art Nouveau. The fascist regime restricted the construction to public buildings.

Architectural evidences of the fascists are the Palazzo delle Poste e Telegrafi and the harbour station Stazione Marittima.

After 1945 During the 1950s and 1960s desultoriness dominated the urban development and building activity. In the Year 1972 urban development laws saved the cultural heritage in the historic centre.1995 the Japanese architect Kenzo Tange drafted the Centro Direzionale, a futuristic quarter near the central station where pedestrian and traffic is separated from each other.The continuity in the use of local materials (yellow tufa, white marble, and grey piperno) still shape the cityscape today. In addition the techniques developed for the use of these materials are practiced in restoration and conservation projects, which are to be permitted by the Unesco World Heritage committee since 2011 in order to preserve all ancient stages and buldings in the city.

8 B.C.

today

500 A.C.

today

1500

today

1700

today

1850

today

1945

today

Extension of the city

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naples – urban development walking guide map

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rendered view of the overall project

Plan & Sections

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one of the eight metallic trees

naples – transport and infrastructure projects Piazza Garibaldi, Domonique Perrault

Located in Naples, the Piazza Garibaldi, designed by Dominique Perrault Architecture, is one of the most important and complex transportation Axis in the Neapolitan transportation system. This infrastructure project, which includes a metro station, offers the opportunity to upgrade this lively urban space bustling with activity. the site serves as the heart of the city’s transit, containing the central train station, a major bus terminal. the project adds a metro stop to this urban hub, and attempts to revitalize the prominent public space. at grade, the scheme is identified by a triangulated canopy structure emerging from a void sunk into the landscape, which accesses the station’s platforms.

Two stations share the piazza: open space, composed of urban parks, luxuriant gardens, large ponds, a protected area, a hypogeum covered with a large pergola and an open promenade with boutiques lining both sides. Though structurally and materially different, the new roof fits right into the alignment and the extension of the central station’s roof.

Composed of a series of eight metallic trees, in simple variations of three patterns, creates a framework resembling clusters of knotty and flexible bamboos talks. The covering is a vast prismatic surface composed of different types of perforated metal in varying densities, whose appearance is constantly changing.

Architect: Location: Site Area: Built Area: Project Year:

Dominique Perrault Architecture Naples, Italy 59,000 m² 21,000 m² 2013 (Conceptual Design: 2004 / Beginning of Construction: 2006)

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Sketch

Plan

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Funicular railways

naples – transport and infrastructure projects Refurbishment of Montesanto Station, Silvio d’Ascia Location: Montesanto, 80135 Napoli, Italy, Ten Minutes faraway from Piazza Garibaldi, It has been built since 1889, and it is considered as an important fixture in the rail infrastructure of the region, the building serves the Cumana and Circumflegrea lines. In addition to accommodating these networks, the station is also the low end of a funicular that scales the Naples hillside leading to Sant’Elmo castle.

The aim of this Restoration: A restoration campaign, launched by Ferroseed 2 in 2004, sought to overhaul the building. In addition to refurbishing its historical façades, the project involved removing the haphazard additions amassed over time, in view of replacing them with new structures designed to accommodate the building’s growing passenger numbers.

The agency focused on updating the main part of the station – the waiting areas and platform shed – by employing a system of subtraction. By removing unnecessary elements within the building’s core, a greater sense of visual transparency results. Reinforcing this approach is the use of a restrained material palette: reflective aluminum panels, steel columns and latticework, glazed panels, durable inlayed stone flooring tiles, and the original brickwork of the tunnel entrances. The agency was also responsible for the design of integrated lighting, furniture, and way-finding fixtures, which employ the same materials.

The platform zone contains four tracks and five platforms. On the upper level, passengers await departing trains underneath a metal lattice structure with glazed panels for daylighting. Although covered, the seating area’s open-air character allows one to experience the site’s unique sensorial attributes... the noises and smells emanating from local market stands; the neon lights pulsating from the nearby storefronts; the vibrations of trains, cars, and pedestrian flows.

Architect: Location: Area: Project Year:

Silvio d’Ascia Architecture Montesanto, 80135 Napoli, Italy 4690.0 sqm 2011

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View of the Exhibition and Auditorium Structure

View of the overall project

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View of the second Structure (fitness house.

naples – transport and infrastructure projects Piazza Garibaldi (2007-2011), Domonique Perrault

Concept The project is located on the site of an abandoned steel factory, which had been created following World War II to help with the reconstruction of the Mezzogiorno region of Southern Italy. Following the plant’s closing, it was decided that the site should retain the concept of “reconstruction,” but this time on a local level. Thus, the idea for a cultural center for local residents and tourists came about.

The complex is intended to be the entryway for the larger Bagnoli Futura initiative, which aims to regenerate the entirety of the former industrial zone. As a result, the majority of its functions hug the ground, creating a large open-air public space that is clad in stone. This datum allows the auditorium element to be the defining element of the project, its glass-clad structure rising from the foundation like a futuristic vessel.

By day, the glazing system’s mirrored, greenish tint allows for the building to reflect its residential neighborhood back on itself, while at night the volume glows from within, becoming a lighthouse-like element on the somewhat scarred landscape.

Facilities Inside, the complex houses exhibition spaces, the central auditorium that seats 300, a bar, and reception areas. Support facilities such as storage space, delivery zones, and mechanical rooms are located under the plaza level. The interior of the auditorium affords spectators with a clear view of presentations, ceremonies, or screenings, thanks to the steel structural system’s integration with the glazing. The layered effect of the façade helps diffuse direct sunlight entering the interior. Also housed within this assembly are opaque acoustical curtains which unroll along the length of the façade’s interior, giving facility operators the ability to adjust the acoustics and lighting features according to room usage.

A second structure, which can be seen more as an extension of the public plaza, will house a fitness and wellness center. Its sloped facades contain 960 integrated photovoltaic cells (spread over 1,420 m²), which once fully- operational, will be capable of producing up to 265,000 kW per year. This complex is accessible via a smaller domed structure (a sort of “cupola” – a subtle hint at the nearby Roman ruins of the Temple of Diane), which along with the auditorium space, becomes a glowing element at night.

Visitors the fitness center and wellness center will have access to additional amenities such as a restaurant, business center, and game rooms, in addition to the requisite programmatic elements (spas, wading pools, fitness classrooms, locker rooms, etc.).

Architects:

Location:

Area:

Construction cost:

Silvio d‘Ascia Architecture Naples, Italy 44230.0 sqm 44.2 million

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Aerial views, plans, elevation

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naples - posilippo

Villa Oro (1934-1937), Luigi Cosenza & Bernard Rudofsky The Villa was built on a very small, steep site of Tufa Stone of the Posillipo hill, Villa Oro (1934-37) is the most meaningful work designed by Luigi Cosenza in collaboration with Bernard Rudofsky and, for this reason, counted among the most important works of modern architecture in Italy. The relation between the edifice and the wonderful landscape of the gulf, the clear and sharp articulation of the volumes, the interpenetration of inside and outside spaces, the structural and detailing solutions, the elegant design of some furnitures and of the floors in maiolica, are the best quality aspects that are concordantly recognized in the project of the house.

Alongside the back wall - following the longittudinal orientation of the building, two single flight staircases directly above one another as rectangular volumes. Facing southwards to the sea, various external spaces form a third layer. Every room in the house (apart from the upper floor bedrooms at the western end) is related to an exterior space.

All points of access are situated on the rear side of the hose. in the original form of the buildig the main enrance was marked by a wall of a glass blocks, the main entrance and the adjacent secondery entrance lead to the two single- flight staircases. The third entrance at the eastern end of the house conected the street level with the large roofed graden which was built as a loggia with a terrace. The view from the interior spaces, on the oter hand is focused: towards the Gulf of Naples , towards Capri and vesuvius.

The most signifigant changes to the substance of the house were made to its external spaces . Both spectacularly large and unusual external spaces were converted in to living area during the time after the war,the Terracce in front of the kitshen ,the Terrace in front of the Living area, and the open roofed Room.

Roofed garden, Loggia

view

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Mercato ittico,1929-1935.

Plan

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Luigi Cosenza

further examples of the work of luigi cosenza fish market Napoli

The Fish Market is a building designed by Luigi Cosenza and located in Naples in Piazza Duca degli Abruzzi, it is an example of rationalist architecture.it has been builit between 1929-1935 This project has been built in the markt area of the Maddalena Bridge adjacent to the harbor and quite close to the central station. The building was completed in 1935. The initial project, drawn up by civil engineer, was of neoclassical style. The work of Cosenza, extremely basic and inexpensive, was his first example of rationalism in Naples.

The building consists of a large hall with a concrete structure and large glass openings to provide natural lighting. The interior consists of a large trading floor covered by a circular vault and surrounded by rooms intended for individual agents. An underground floor consists of cold stores and warehouses. The public entrance is via a grand staircase to the north. Cosenza in 1979 proposed to the City an extension of the structure to adapt to the increased volume of business, but his project was not implemented and were made only sporadic and not consistent adjustments.

With the cessation of the activities after about seventy years after its opening, the building of the Fish Market has fallen into decay. The City Council has in recent years initiated a redevelopment project in order to recover the work and direct it to a new use; It has in fact decided to make an exhibition center for contemporary art.

The restoration project is part of the broader work of redevelopment of the area east of Naples and the Fish Market should be integrated into the new Marinella Park.

In 2013 he established the maintenance of the historical use of the building, it is planned inside a gastronomical center of marine products.

Architect: Project: Location:

Luigi Cosenza Fish Markt 1929-1930 Piazza Duca degli Abruzzi, Napoli

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Villa San Michele was built around the turn of the 20th century. The villa‘s gardens have panoramic views of Capri‘s harbour, the Sorrentine Peninsula, and Vesuv. The garden is adorned with relics from ancient Egypt and antiquity. The villa sits on a ledge at a height of 327 meters.

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Punta Carena is located on the head, southwest of Capri. The lighthouse has been active since 1867 and his construction began in 1862.

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2

Certosa di San Giacomo is a Carthusian monastery founded in 1363. The charterhouse has three main areas: women‘s church, buildings for monks and guests‘s house. The cloister (Chiostro Grande) is of a late Renaissance design.

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Villa Damecuta is one of the twelve villas that the emporer Tiburius had built on Capri around AD 25.

It is located at directly above the „Grotta Azzurra“.

capri

landscape, settlement structure and architectural typologies

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Grotta Azzurra is a sea cave. Sunlight, passing through an underwater cavity and shining through the seawater, creates a blue reflection that illuminates the cavern.

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Villa Jovis also „Villa of Jupiter“ is a Roman palace at north Capri, built by emperor Tiberius in AD 27.

Nowadays some ruins are still there and shows the biggest at that time.

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Villa Lysis is a villa built by industrialist and poet Jacques d‘Adelswärd-Fersen in 1905. „Dedicated to the youth of love“. The house is mainly Art Nouveau with Neoclassical elements.

Capri 6

Faraglioni stacks, in southeast of Capri, are formed by erosion from ocean waves.

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Casa Malaparte is a house on Punta Massullo, on the eastern side of Capri. It is a Italian modern architecture conceived around 1937 by Adalberto Libera.

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Torre Materita is an ancient medieval tower converted into a villa located in Anacapri. It was built in 1378 by monks of the Certosa di San Giacomo to defend the population from the incursions.

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Capri island

Roman villas - Villa Jovis „Villa of Jupiter“

Although situated at different heights, the three Roman villas of Capri - Villa di Damecuta, Villa Jovis and Villa di Palazzo a Mare - occupy the whole of the island’s coastline and provide a complete view of the Gulf of Naples from Punta Campanella. Villa Jovis is the largest of the twelve Tiberian villas on Capri mentioned by Roman historians.

Villa Jovis is a Roman palace, built by emperor Tiberius and completed in AD 27. It was built according to a compact square plan with several detached buildings. Covering a surface area of 7000 m2, the villa was constructed on layers of terraces which level out the natural line of the rock.

However, rare documentation left by Latin writers describes villa Jovis as being situated on an inaccessible rock with a sheer drop to the sea - a small fortress with a tower to receive and send light signals - and in fact, Villa Jovis fully meets this description having a sheer drop to the sea on two sides of a large, solid construction more similar to a fortress rather than a villa and buildings organized a central complex with a tower (green).

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capri

Roman villas - Villa Imperiale di Damecuta

The imperial Villa di Damecuta is another example of the Tiberian villas on Capri. It lies on the western side of the island and was probably one of the most sumptuous of the emporer‘s villas, judging from the luxurious marble floors, stucco work, decorations, and art found in recent excavations.

The best preserved section is the scenic quarter, built in a style similar to the imperial loggia at Villa Jovis. Beneath the Medieval tower, there is an alcove (cubiculum) preceded by a vestibule and panoramic terrace suspended over the precipice (not accessibile to the public). The mass of volcanic dust found on the walls of the loggia indicate that the villa was damaged by the famous eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD which destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Excavations at Villa Damecuta began in 1937 under the direction of Amedeo Maiuri. Unfortunately, the state of the ruins uncovered both here and at the Palazzo a Mare testify to the deliberate destruction of the building‘s structure by the fortifications and military lines of communication

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elevation

second floor

first floor

ground floor

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capri

Casa Malaparte

site plan

The house was conceived around 1937 by the well-known Italian architect Adalberto Libera for the famous Italian writer and journalist Curzio Malaparte.

Malaparte actually rejected Libera‘s design and built the home himself with the help of Adolfo Amitrano, a local stonemason. Casa Malaparte is a red masonry box with reverse pyramidal stairs leading to the roof patio. On the roof is a freestanding curving white wall of increasing height. It sits on a dangerous cliff 32 metres above the sea overlooking the Gulf of Salerno. Access to this private property is either by foot from the Town of Capri or by boat and a staircase cut into the cliff.

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Mt. Vesuvius Neaples Herculaneum Oplontis

Pompeii

Golf of Neaples

Plan of the Gulf of Naples with the Greek colonies of 8 to 6 c. v. Chr. and for the same period under Etruscan influence City plan Pompeii

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Pompeii - Herculaneum - Oplontis

vesuv and it‘s burried cities Pompeii

Pompeii was founded in the 8th century B.C. by the Oscans, a tribe of peasants and shepherds. By the 6th century B.C. the area was under Greek influence. About 400 B.C. the city was conquered by the Samnites. Rome conquered Pompeii in 80 B.C. The famous eruption occurred in the year 79 A.D. The erruption destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The city was discovered in 1590.

• Pompeii was surrounded by walls for protection and defence purposes There were 8 entrances to the town. Names based on where gates lead to, for example Herculaneum gate, Marine gate.

• Towers at regular intervals along the walls.

• In Pompeii, the main streets ‘decumani’ intersected with the side streets ‘cardini’ • Houses were built right up to the street.

•Stepping stones on road were placed perhaps when it rained to provide access across streets. They were designed to allow carts to easily pass.

There was no boundary between residential and commercial units. They sat side by side in the streets, and shops and workshops were incorporated into the house’s structure. The layout of Pompeii, set between the slopes of Mt Vesuvius and the sea, meant that the city could only develop with a confined space. As the population of this Domus prosperous city grew bigger, the houses tended Italica to be extended upwards instead of outwards.

Dwellings were set into rectangular urban blocks, known as insulae, and 1 insula could include: Tabernas, Cauponas (bars), houses, a Fullonica (laundry), a Thermopolia, and a brothel. It is interesting to compare the Pompeian single-storey house occupied by one family with the blocks of apartments built round a large central courtyard which became general under the Empire and are found at Ostia but not at Pompeii.

Old Pompeian atrium house Domus Italica Cubiculum Alae

Tabernae

Triclinium

Atrium Fauces

Tablinum

Hortus

Tabernae Alae Cubiculum Cubiculum Alae

Tabernae Atrium

Triclinium

Fauses - entrance space Tabernae - storage Cubiculum - bedroom Alae - The open rooms on each side of the atrium

Implurium - water storage(pool) Tablinium - office Hortus - garden Triclinium - dinigroom

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vesuv and it‘s burried cities Herculaneum

Ancient tradition connected Herculaneum with the name of the Greek hero Heracles (a.k.a. Hercules), an indication that the city was of Greek origin. Soon after, the town came under Greek control and was used as a trading post because of its proximity to the Bay of Naples. It is the Greeks who named the city Herculaneum. Evidence of Greek influence lies in the geometric grid of the town plan, adopted from the principles of Hippodamos a Greek architect of the 5th century from Miletus in Asia Minor.

By the first century AD, Herculaneum had become a holiday resort for rich Roman traders and high status Romans. Early in its history the waterfront was fortified by a massive wall to protect it from invaders and pounding waves. The wall was later dismantles when it was no longer required for defence, and the luxurious Suburban baths and the Sacred Area were built on the waterfront Nonius Balbus, one time governor of Crete and Libya, owned a luxurious house in Herculaneum and portraits of his whole family were found in the Basilica.The two main streets running east to west are Decumanus Maximus and the Decumanus Inferior.

• As Herculaneum is largely unexcavated, it is small and does not use region numbers, just insulae and building numbers.

• Houses are larger perhaps due to being a port town and many Roman Senators owning houses here. For example, Marcus Nonius Balbus.

• More double story houses perhaps due to the views and trying to catch the ocean breeze.

• Herculaneum had walls however they weren’t as extravagant as Pompeii.

In that a broad colonnaded main street ran from north-west to south-east; on the northeast side of this street stood a row of house-blocks with a structure taken to be a Basilica, and on the south-west of it were ten house-blocks, one of which includes some public baths. At the north end of this area are a theatre and temple, at the south end two large structures which have been called temples but are more like large private houses; on the east (according to the eighteenth-century searchers) are graves.

Casa Sannitica (5), Insula V

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vesuv and it‘s burried cities Villa Oplontis The Villa Poppaea is an ancient Roman seaside villa (villa maritima) situated between Naples and Sorrento, in southern Italy. It is also referred to as the Villa Oplontis, or more precisely as Villa A.The villa itself is a large structure situated in the ancient Roman town of Oplontis (the modern Torre Annunziata), about ten meters below the modern ground level. Evidence suggests that it was owned by the Emperor Nero, and believed to have been used by his second and rather notorious wife, Poppaea Sabina, as her main residence when she was not in Rome.

Like many of the other houses in the area, the villa shows signs of remodeling, probably to repair damage from the earthquake in 62 CE. The oldest part of the house centers round the atrium and dates from the middle of 1st century BCE .During the remodeling, the house was extended to the east, with the addition of various reception and service rooms, gardens and a large swimming pool.

In contrast to the houses of the town, whose architectural and functional core point was the lobby and the outward side, the crore of the suburban Villas was mostly inward and lay around the peristyle or courtyard. Part of the house was the residence of the owner a determined second to the apartment of the estate manager, a third to the productive activities.

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Ragusa - site map

Ragusa - panoramic view

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ragusa / marina di ragusa – urban development The historic city and modern development The province and the city of Ragusa has passed through many different periods with nations, emperors and changings. Today it is UNESCO World cultural heritage.

The first settlements in this area were recorded in the third millenium b.c..

The originally formation of the city Ragusa, results from the earliest settlements in the city, wich were rock cut tombs and cave dwellings. The cities development started with several settlements of the ancient Sicels in the 13th century b.c. Later Ragusa passed through eras of greek and carthagian control (6th. century b.c.). Emperors from the roman, the byzanthine and arabic (848 AD) continuosly conquered Ragusa.

In 1963 the city was fully destroyed by an earthquake, were although the traces from arabic, middle aged and other periods were blurred until today. After the earthquake, the city was reconstructed. The curch, aristocratic and bourgeois families became interested in investing in the sicilian cities to gather their influence in each region. The baroque style raised up in the same time in Italy. The baroque architecture was instrument to demonstrate power and social positions. A challenge between the different families began, each one tried to gather more respect and influence by the rebuilt of more and more grandious buildings.

At this time a conflict between the old nobility families (inhabitants) and the new families, coming from outside to the city (some nobel, some bourgeois) raised up. In this conflict the city became divided into two parts. The old city (Ibla) and a new planned town, with straight streets and a rational layout. But local aristocrats didn‘t want to move, and instead built themselves new palazzi on the ruins of the old town. So nowadays Ragusa has two parts: Ibla (or Ragusa Ibla), the older nucleus on its hilltop, and Ragusa Superiore, the more modern upper town which spreads from the post-earthquake streets into more recent developments. The city is divided in two parts, by a canyon and three bridges connect the the old city (Ibla) with the new city (Superiore).

marina di ragusa Marina di Ragusa is a fraction of the city of Ragusa. Twenty five kilometres in the south you will find it. Originally the city was called Mazzarelli (arabic: „small suburb“) and was a village for fisherman. Today and although because it‘s white and sandy beaches the city became a touristic centre.

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concept and axonometry

interior photo courtyard

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ragusa Casa DCM (2014), Guiseppe Gurrieri + Valentina Giampiccolo The building is located in the oldest part of Ragusa where streets are running parallel at different levels. The project is about the renovation of a portion of the factory originally used for the production and the sale of the traditional cheese.

The building, over the years, has been transformed and modified several times. The solution adopted was to create a courtyard by removing a volume from the section of the building. Such a decision clearly reduces the living space but it brings considerable benefits and allows an optimal reorganization of the spaces making the new void the heart of the building.

Each room gives onto the new internal court on the southern side; the house is closed on itself, ensuring more privacy and distance from the neighbourhood. floor plans

historical images

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concept

section

perspective

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marina di ragusa A2M Social Housing (2005-2012), Nunzio Gabriele Sciveres The Social Housing project from Nunzio Gabriele Sciveres is located in Marina di Ragusa 25 kilometres in the south of Ragusa. A2M is an whole building area with 25 units, wich is located on the top of Marina di Ragusas hill.

Concept The concept here is to define a new kind of social housing. That means to provide social housing with an high quality domestic comfort.

Parameters of the concept - Maximum built volume should be exploited.

- private gardens and open spaces - providing correct illumination for the interiour living environments.

- Physical characteristics of the lot landscape and as solution there were placed having the long side perpendicular to the North-South axis and parallel to the contour lines.

- bands of various heights and volume distributions, in which pergolas and paved areas are included; - Full length windows on opposite walls provide continuity between inside and outside, encouraging natural ventilation and ensuring the double exposure; - The inclusion of the garden on the long sides of the houses gives as well more privacy to the patios and verandas.

- The large shaded outside areas increase the living areas surface.

All the houses have views towards the sea.

Construction From the constructive viewpoint the apartments are built with a structure of beams and pillars in reinforced concrete, vertical walls are with hollow bricks coated with a plaster coat of 6 cm. The ground floors pavement are finished with ceramic tiles while the second deck floor is surmounted by an additional slab in flooring blocks lined with a waterproof membrane. This arrangement allows a better thermal insulation trough air chamber. On all the roofs have being installed photovoltaic panels and a system for collecting the rainwaters towards underground tanks also used for irrigation of gardens and common areas.

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Catania‘s gulf and view on the Etna mount

Flag, symbol and motto of the city:

Catania situation and Terrain map

„Melior De Cinere Surgo“ I rise greater from my ashes.

Elephant = symbol of protection against plunder. Legend says that the elephant‘s fountain was an a real animal that get caught by lava during an Etna‘s eruption.

Picture of the Roman Amphitheatre in 1911

Picture of the Roman Baths

Cathedral Santa Agatha nowadays

Cathedral Santa Agatha in 1841

Garibaldi‘s gate of the city

Castle Ursino built by Frederic II

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catania – urban development the antique city

Presentation and history Italics settlers and Greeks colonisation Catania rises today along the coast of the Ionian Sea and its hot and dry climate. At first, it was populated by the Sicels, an ancient population of Italic settlers that inhabited an archaic village, which they called Katane.

The name Katane, which means “grater”, or „scratching implement” was probably given to the place because of the harsh, rough and jagged terrain, created by the flows of solidified lava that had poured out of Etna mount 25 km away.

Around the VIIIth century B.C., Greek settlers set out to occupy the territory. The most important settlement was located on a hill which these days is occupied by the actual Piazza Dante, and on the Santa Sofia hill. The Greeks has built a theator that will later be used and enlarged by the Romans. They also have implement an Acropolis on the Montevergine.

From the Greeks to the Romans Two hundred years after the greek settlement in 242 B.C., after the ambitious colonising campaigns of the Carthaginians and the events of the Punic Wars, the Roman rule began in Catania and in the whole Sicily. As a sign of gratitude towards the people of Catania, the Roman emperor erected various edifices in the city and introduced all the features of a typical Roman city including a Forum, the Baths, an Aqueduct, a Theatre, and an Amphitheatre.

During the Roman period, Christianity also started to diffuse rapidly in Sicily. The early history of Christianity was marked by a campaign of persecutions. Saint Lucy of Syracuse, and Saint Agatha will become the patroness of Catania. The cathedral will also be named after Agatha.

Invaders and damages After the collapse of the Roman Empire, Catania has been plunder and damaged under the rules of Vandals, the Ostrogoths, the Byzantine Empire...

It‘s only during the rule of the Normans that Catania went vivid again, especially with the construction of the Cathedral in 1094. In 1232, the germans and Frederick the 2nd has taken the city, built the Castle Ursino, one of the rare ancient building that is still standing nowadays.

To avoid the city to get damages from the frequent Ottomans pirates‘ attacks under the Spain rule, Charles the 1rst decided to built the fortifications of Catania.

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Plan of the city in 1575, before the natural disater

Basilica di San Nicola l‘Arena

San Benedetto da Norcia

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Plan of the city since 1714, new urban plan

Basilica di San Nicola l‘Arena

Villa Bellini

catania – urban development the modern city

„I rise greater from my ashes.“ On the 11th of January 1693, a massive earthquake with a maximum intensity of 11 destroyed 70 towns and caused the death of more than 60,000 people. The eartquake was followed by a tsunami that devastated the Ionian coastline. As a result of these events about two thirds of the people living in Catania died. Few buildings including the Ursino Castle were left standing.

This disaster totally changed Catania, since nearly nothing was left. The re-construction of the city was based on the town planning scheme of Giuseppe Lanza Duke of Camastra and Giovanni Battista Vaccarin. Deeply affected by this catastrophe the new urban plan has been thought to work as a modern and antiseismic survey.

Large places are now situated in front of the main buildings to allow people to gather during an earthquake. The size of the roads have been changed: instead of the previous narrow and sinuous streets, they are now structured following an octogonal pattern of principal (16m ), to secondary (8m) roads that lead quickly to the outside of the city.

The re construction of the building as also been affected by a new way of thinking. The height of the buildings has been reduiced to 2 floor levels to avoid collapsing during an earthquake. With the Spain rule, Catania got a lot of Sicilian Baroque‘s buildings.

This style is composed of a lot of ornaments to decorate the facade. On the picture we can see that the Basilica San Nicola l‘Arena is the typical exemple of this new modern baroque. That‘s why the city is now protected by UNESCO. In 1943, the city has been mainly touched by the bombings of the Second World War. But thanks to its history , the city has been able to quickly recover from the ravages as it has always done against invadors‘ or natural‘s damages.

Nowadays, Catania is the 2nd most important city in Sicilia and it has the bigger harbor of the island.

Land Use map of Sicilia

Settlement map of Sicilia

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catania

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situation of the house on the topographical map, site plan and aerial view

elevation / main courtyard groundfloor

atmosphere

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composition of volumes functions

historic background

catania / bucherri

Casa Fallisi, Bucherri, Sicily (2004) Atelier Map The house Fallisi from the Architecture agency Tuttiarchitetti is built in the south west of Sicily, in a village called Bucherri closed to the city of Siracusa. It is built on a flat land between hills on former cereal crops lands, somewhat distant from the Mount Castello and the old city.

The house has been thought as the main typology present in the region: the big masseria with courtyard. The main house is L-shape formed and is articulated around the big court. The height is different between the different parts of the house. The main courtyard is 70 cm higher.

Facing it, the living room is totally open on it and closed at the opposite to protect it from the strong and dominant wind of the mediterranean region: the Sirocco.

The living room is facing west but is protected from the sun thanks to a cantilever. It helps to regulate naturally the temperature in the living room during hot summer in this well-known hot region.

There is also an atelier at the south part of the main house, it is wide open to get light from the west. The west facade is composed of 2 buildings but has been drawn to give the impression of only one.

The worker house is situated in the south west building. It‘s next to the garage and encircle the second smaller courtyard. This „worker house“ is reference to the big masseria present in the region where farmers and owner were living in the same land but in separated buildings. openings / wind related

sun protection

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Topography map of Sicily, Italy

The Europe‘s oldest volcano - Mount Etna

Map of municipalities and zones in the region of Aetna park 1- Adrano 2- Belpasso 3- Biancavilla 4-Bronte

5- Castiglione di Sicilia 6-Giarre 7-Lingfield 8- Maletto 9- Mascali 10- Milo 11-Nicolosi 12- Pedara 13- Piedimonte Etneo 14- Ragalna 15- Randazzo 16-Santa Maria di Licodia 17- Sant‘Alfio 18- Trecastagni 19- Viagrande 20- Zafferana Etnea

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aetna region

landscape and volcanic activities / settlements

On the east coast of Sicily we find Aetna region with its famouse park and stratovolcano. The 59000 hectares park is devided into 20 municipalities which there center is Mount Etna with its lithological boundary of 250 km, the height is about 3350 m.

The territory of the park has also been divided into four zones: • Zone ''A'' is a nature preserved with minimal human intervention.

• Zone ''B'' is a combines protection of the traditional farm of the area and the old farmhouses, very significant examples of rural architecture of this region.

• Zone ''C'' and ''D'‘ are the pre-park areas it pursues economic development compatible with respect for the landscape and the environment Aetna was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in June 2013, due to its unique natural environment and the unique landscape that surrounds the highest active volcano in Europe.

Landscape The flora of the Park is extremely rich and varied. Starting from the lower altitudinal belts, where once were the holm oak forests, which replaced with vineyards, olive groves, orchards, hazelnut and pistachio orchards. Around and beyond 2,000 meters we find beech and birch woods. Between 2,450 and 3,000 meters very few elements survive the environmental conditions of the volcano. Above this altitude, until the summit lies the volcanic desert where no plant form is to be found.

The special microclimate and the hilly and mountainous topography of Aetna, which allowed the vineyards to be arranged in small terraces have allowed vine cultivation and wine production since ancient times and they became a part of the culture in this region, in addition they considered as the economic activities for the twenty commn of Aetna.The Park Authority, aiming the integration between environmental protection and promotion of economic resourses.

The volcanic activities Mount Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The fertile volcanic soils support extensive agriculture ,with vineyards and orchards spread across the lower slopes of the mountain.

The last known eruption was in 1693, which caused 77 human deaths, and since then it has been nur flank eruptions. The flank eruptions after 2000 were in 2001, 2002–2003, 2004–2005, and 2008-2009. Summit eruptions occurred in 2006, 2007–2008, January–April 2012, and again in July–October 2012.

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section show the wine storage area in building number1 view from the center of the complex

masonry plastered with lava stone

masonry with dry stone

east facade show the materials of the buildings Ground floor Building 1 Building 2 Building 3

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Sicilian roof tiles

masonry plastered with lava stone traditional plaster gutter

wooden frames

aetna region

Restructuring of Sciaranuova Farm (2013), Castiglione di Sicilia, Gaetano Gulino & Santi Gaetano Albanese The project concerns the recovery of a buildings group of rural architecture in the town of Castiglione di Sicilia, where the building complex conglomerate around a courtyard with a cistern in the center. They are located on the northern slope of Etna ,situated on a high plateau at an altitude of 870 meters above sea level and the site has a view of beautiful landscape of lush vegetation.

Before the restructuring there were a group of three buildings , of which two of them partially collapsed, witnesses of the traditional agricultural and pastoral context Etna.

All of them have a rectangular plan with different sizes , with a patched roof, covering Sicilian tile roofs and lava-stone walls stuccoed or plastered.

The project year was in 2013 and its architects are Gaetano Gulino & Santi Gaetano Albanese, who run an architect‘s office in Manfi-Sicily called Gruppovida.

Building 1- Wine storage It was recovered for single storage of wines in small oak barrels. The idea was to reconstruct the building to do its function, as well as to keep its original Sicilian identity, where the missing wall and roof were made with construction technologies and materials similar to those existing and the building‘s roof is gabled with chestnut wood structure consists of trusses and purlins and roofing Sicilian tile roofs.

Building 2- Marketing wine For this part of the building was made a fixed extraordinary maintenance. The building is intended to accommodate a multi-functional area for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the company (office, wine shop, tasting room).

Building 3- Accommodation This building has been the subject of a building renovation intervention. Because the of the missing structural bodies (brick, intermediate floor and roof), it was necessary to add seismic upgrading for the building without distorting its character.

The main function is to serve a service indwelling company. on the ground floor we can see the living area while the loft, which is for the sleeping area with a bathroom in the service, reached by a small iron staircase. The mezzanine structure is made of chestnut wood beams. The building‘s roof is hipped with chestnut wooden structure consisting of purlins, trusses and roof covering with roof tiles. The exterior walls have been preserved in stone at sight.

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Ground floor Building 1 Building 2 Building 3

The main building- we can see the lava stone infront of the building

Siteplan show the three buildings of the project

Section in building number 1 driveway path lava rock

Bottle Filling

footpath

masonry lava stone Tanks

Ground floor for buildings1&2

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aetna region

Cantina Feudo di Mezzo Winery (2012), Passopisciaro, Gaetano Gulino & Santi Albanese

As well known that Etna slops are rich with vineyards, which conceder the economical core of this region, it was needed a new winery in the area to provide the market with fine quality wine, therefore gruppovida architect‘s office designed these new complex of buildings in a modern way, but they didn‘t forget the identity of the area. The main goal of the project was setting up a production plant with a capacity of about 2000 Hectolitre.

The site area is about 35 hectares and it has many territorial roads which lead to main destinations and great arteries of communication. The area studied is situated about 620 meters above sea level on the north slope of Etna which is sub flat and looks over a wonderful view of rich imposing vegetation. The project is divided into three parts: Building 1-Processing building This building is the main one in the group. It‘s designed in a rectangular base with a dimension of 39,10 x 17,25 m and divided into two parts by a tunnel where the grapes are gathered. In the north part is the area for bottling the wine with a small wine laboratory and bathroom facilities. The bigger part is filled with stainless steel tanks and there locate storage area and wine making area.The walls are 60cm thick and made from quarry lava rock and dry mounted according to local tradition. The working height is of approx 5,50m in the south part, and the covering is flat with a garden roof.

Building 2- Storage area These building is partially buried in the ground, only 1,8 m above the ground level, in order to keep the wine dray, and the buried floor plan is approx 2m deep and can be reached using the slight ramp or a stairway that is encased in the rock. The dimensions of the plant are about 9 x 20m. The material of the walls is structured with lava stone according to the construction of the “Petraie” of Etna. The roof is covered in lava gravel and has a stairway dug in the stone which transforms the roof in a terrace Building 3- warehouse Also with a rectangular plant with the dimensions of approx 10 x 15m, is entirely made of modular elements in prefabricated reinforced concrete, but the external walls have a traditional dark grey plaster finishing. The body of the building is aimed at depositing full and empty bottles. The building is surrounded by a 1.8m tall wall which creates a closed garden.

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Cliffs

Buildings

The mediterranean sea

Blacke&White plan show the theater and the castel

Ancient theatre of Taormina

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View from the theatre

taormina – urban development and the Greek theatre

Urban development The present town of Taormina occupies the ancient site, on a lofty hill which forms the last projecting point of the mountain ridge that extends along the coast from Cape Pelorus to this point.

The site of the old town is about 250 metres above the sea, while a very steep and almost isolated rock, crowned by a Saracen castle, rises about 150 metres.

The city of Taormina (Italy) has found an important economical resource in tourism.

However, tourism development has caused an intense, relentless urban development till the present day, often at the expense of protecting pre-existing historical architecture.

This has also undermined the possibility of a clear interpretation of the transformations which the historical centre has undergone during its long history. The topography of its territory made the city a focal point for the control of the surrounding area and the commercial traffic in the east of Sicily, from the Imperial period until the late Middle Ages.

The incessant layering of cultures and styles is today evident in the actual historical centre, where there are traces of every historical period set in and between modern buildings. the Ancient theatre of Taormina On the north-east of the city located one of the most important remarkable monument in the city is the Greek theatre, which is one of the most celebrated ruins in Sicily.

Most of its parts is built from brick, therefore it is probably of Roman date. With a diameter of 120 metres this theatre is the second largest of its kind in Sicily (after that of Syracuse).

The greater part of the original seats have disappeared, but the wall which surrounded the whole Cavea is preserved , and the proscenium with the back wall of the stage and its appendages, of which only traces remain in most ancient theatres, are here preserved in singular integrity, and contribute much to the picturesque effect, as well as to the interest, of the ruin.

Some portions of a temple are also visible, converted into the church of San Pancrazio, but the edifice is of small size.

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Palermo

La Loggia II Capo

Kalsa

Albergheria

Palermo _ capital of island Sicily

Palermo plan_ marked all city center

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Old city center _division

palermo – urban development the antique city

Palermo (Latin: Panormus) is the capital of the island regione of Sicily and one of the biggest cities in Italy. It lies on Sicily’s northwestern coast at the head of the Bay of Palermo, facing east.

The shape of the gulf where the city lies, makes it a natural port. The city is enclosed by a fertile plain known as the Conca d’Oro (Golden Shell), which is planted with citrus groves and backed by mountains.

Mount Pellegrino rises to a height of 1,988 feet (606 m) north of the city with a view to the sea.

It is the city with the largest old town centre - historic town centre in Europe. Founded already in XVIII BC by the Phoenicians, it keeps traces of Punic-Roman civilisation, buildings stylistically related to the Arabic, Byzantine and Norman culture, rich architecture from the 14th to the 16th centuries, baroque palaces, and not less important buildings built in so-known Liberty style from the end of the 19th century up to the early decade of the 20th century.

The antique city - urban plan The old city of Palermo has a simple urban plan that is dominating the otherwise chaotic street layout.

The antique city, once enclosed by the enormous city walls, is now defined by a modern barrier, the inner ring-road which follows almost exactly the line of the old fortifications.

Center of old Palermo is divided by two arrow straight roads; the first, Corso Vittorio Emanuele, runs directly from the sea, the second, Via Maqueda is parallel to the sea and exactly normal to Corso Vittorio Emanuele.

These two roads cross at the very centre of the old city, creating a cruciform in plan and so defining the four quarters of old Palermo: La Kalsa, Capo, Vucciria and Albergheria.

Two main street are so a fixed reference for orientation for those unfamiliar with the city.

Main point of this system is cruciform – intersection place of two roads which contains Quattro Canti (the four songs). Architect Giulo Lasso designed 1608 four facades overlooking the cross-roads, This urban concept is articulated at the intersection of the two axes by Il Quattro Canti (the four songs).

Built in 1608 by the architect Giulo Lasso, it consists of four identical facades overlooking the cross-roads.

The only difference are the statues that stand in the front of each of the three floors and represent quarter of the city in which their building is.

Il quattro Canti is both the literal and symbolic heart of the old city.

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Palermo as Greek colony

Neapolis Paleapolis

Ruins in Palermo from Roman time _ Piazz Vittoria

Norman-Arab-Byzantine Palermo_ San Giovanni , Palatine Chapel. Palermo Cathedral, Zisa

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palermo – urban development historic development up to today

Palermo has been knows as The Most Conquered City in the World, something which came from its geographical position, natural port and towering mountains which surround it. Development of the city was influenced by changes of the nations that ruled it, and its architecture is mixture of styles of all the cultures that once settled here.

Ancient Palermo.

Palermo was inhabited alread in 8000 BC by the Sicani that lived in caves just outside of Palermo.

First urban settlement was built in 734 BC by the Phoenicians from Tyre (Lebanon).

They established flourishing merchant colony and called city Ziz. Between the 8th and the 7th cenutires BC, the Greeks colonized Sicily. They called the city Panormus (all port) and traded with the Carthaginians, Phoenician descendants.

The two civilisation lived together until Sicily until the Roman Conquest.

Palermo as we know it today developed from Greek city. The Greek Panormu had two nuclei: the Paleapolis (’’ancient city’’) between the two rivers Kemonia and Papirethos and the Neapolis (’’new city’’).

Roman Palermo Palermo was flourishin city during the Golden Age of the Roman Republic and Empire.

It was a major trading outpost for them, and they built roads, temples, and baths so that Roman and Byzantin influnces can been seen even today.

In Piazza Vittoria (Victory’s Square’’) notable places and mosaics have been discovered and large theatre still existed in the Norman age. However, after the reign of Vespasian, it decayed, and in 445 was sacked by th King of African Vandal. Later it was part of therritory of Odoacer and Theoderic’s Ostrogoths.

Arab Palermo Palermo was conquered in 831 by Saracens - Arabs from North Africa. They renamed it Balharm before building it into a center of learning and culture designed to rival Cairo and Cordoba. It served as the capital of Arabian Sicily until 1072. By 1050, Palermo had a population of 350000 making it one of the largest towns in Europe.

Muslim artifacts include the Kasr (’’Castle’’), on th cape of the Paleopolid, the district of the great mosque, the Kalsa (’’Elected’’) the emirs’ seat along the sea, the area of Schiavqani (’’slaves’’) crossed by the Papireto river and in the western region, the Moasker, the soliders’ quarter.

Norman Palermo In 1072, after four years of siege, Palermo fell to Normans. They restored Christianity as the official relgion , althought they were tolerant towards to other religions and cultures . For this reason number of new builidngs was built , with fascinating mixture of Arab, Byzantine and Italian influences, such as the San Giovanni degli Eremiti church, the Palatine Chapel, and the Zisa.

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Aragon Palermo_San Guiseppe, Spasimo theatre, Porta Nuova

Baroque architecture in Palermo

Liberty style in Palermo

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palermo – urban development historic development up to today

The Kingdom of Sicily and Naples In 1194, the Holy Roman Empire conquered the island, and the Palazzo dei Normanni became the regional palace. Swabian period was defined by rule of Frederick II of Hohenstaufen house of Germany. Under his reign Palermo became the effective capital of theHoly Roman Empire .In this period, Palermo’s court anticipated Renaissance courts.

But after Kingdom of Sicily passed to French house of Anou, Palermo suffered a period of decay as the capital was moved to Naples.

The sumptuous Palazzo Steri and Palazzo Sclafani were built under the Aragonese kings. In 1494, after the death of King Martin, Sicily was annexed to Spain and Palermo became the seat of aviceroy. Arts were still important with buildings like the church of San Giuseppe, the Spasimo theatre and the Porta Nuova.

Baroque architecture in Palermo Sicilian Baroque is recognizable not only by its typical Baroque curves and flowers, but also by its grinning masks and putti and a particular flamboyance that has given Sicily a unique architectural identity.The earliest example of Baroque in Palermo is Giulio Lassos Quattro Canti. The Baroque style is the mirror of noble families’ wealth and power during the Spanish domination, which lasted almost five centuries in Sicily.

The 20th Century The Belle Epoque, period in Europe between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the First world War, saw the development of the style that is generally known as Art Nouveau, but in Palermo is called ‘Liberty’. Grand Hotel Villa Igeia is most famous building of this style.

Palermo escaped much of the Fascist period without note, but in 1943 it was invaded and bombed heavily by the Allied Forces, which is seenable even today.

During the 20th century its development , protection of old buildings , restoration and regeneration were prevent by Mafia and its corrupt politicians. Today as a result of this it is a crumbling but complex ruin, an urban landscape of enormous character and intrigue that waits to be interpretated.

Sycilian mafia

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Historic develpment of Palermo

VIII B.C. Greek Palermo

XII A.C. Norman Palermo

XVII A.C. Spanish Palermo

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IX A.C. Arab Palermo

XIV A.C. Aragon Palermo

XVIII A.C. Palermo

palermo – urban development historic development up to today

Urban developments in 20th Century After the Kingdom of Italy had annexed Sicily in 1860, the city began a modernisation process of its urban and economic infrastructures that culminated in a general regulatory plan designed by the engineer Felice Giarrusso in 1885, as well as the organisation of the National Exposition in 1891.

Urban planning renovation was centred on the northern part of the city, in an area between the train station and the port. The construction of new roads paved the way for land being made available for construction purposes and this was where the most important public Stile Liberty buildings in Palermo were concentrated.

Urban Plan of Palermo in 1888

Engineer Castiglia, elected president of the commission, spoke of the „adjustments” necessary for meeting the demands of a large European city.

The plan that the commission produced envisaged the creation of extensive city arteries, the demolition of the bastions that walled the old city, the realization of public works, of markets, of housing for workers, and of public baths. None of the projects tied to the plan were inaugurated.

History and politics made for continuous postponements of plans for transformation.

However, the dye was cast.

The commission’s ideas reflected the necessary division of labor and consequently of physical spaces of industrialized society. The extensive system of arteries, already under construction in Paris, are functional elements of this division.

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The Cutting of Via Roma Felice Giarrusso’s “City Building Plan for Renovation” proposed an urban expansion within the old city with arterial traces at right angles. The most extensive development was to take place in a rinortherly direction along tree-lined Via Libertà, an area that had been destined for development in the last years of the Bourbon government. This area would become the residential section for the city’s professional and bourgeois classes. Via Roma was built as a street that would connect the train station to the new city and to the harbor. It was an immense undertaking and involved the demolition of aristocratic palaces, churches, convents and working class neighborhoods.

Urban Plan of Palermo in 1907

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palermo – urban development historic development up to today

Palermo Today In its 2,700-year history, the port city of Palermo has undergone three golden ages: the Carthaginians, Arabs and Normans all found glory along its rugged shores. And now, after decades of post-War neglect and mafia corruption, the often overlooked Sicilian capital is poised for a fourth — or at least a well-deserved comeback. Crumbling roads are being repaved, landmarks scrubbed clean and a newfound pride can be felt. But the essential charms of this mysterious and intoxicating city thankfully remain intact.

There are still seductive old neighborhoods, a delightful patchwork of architecture, and a belching chaotic mess known as Palermo traffic.

La Loggia II Capo

Kalsa

Albergheria

Districts of historic Palermo The Albergheria occupies the southwest quadrant delineated by the Quattro Canti and is the oldest neighborhood in Palermo. This is where the Phoenicians founded the city, and it hosts the royal palace which all the city’s rulers have called home. Despite this rich history, today’s Albergheria is one of the most run-down sections of Palermo.

Seralcadio occupies the northwest quadrant delineated by the Quattro Canti.

Founded by the Arabs , it is also known as Il Capo (The Boss) , for the presence , within it , the homonymous historical market , which is accessed through the Porta Carini .

It is one of the areas preferred by tourists because the market still retains many of its original features . Within the district it is also the Diocesan Museum.

La Loggia also named Castellammare occupies the Northeast quadrant delineated by the Quattro Canti.The renowned neighborhood houses the most famous outdoor markets, the Vucciria. Its name derives from the presence of the “Castello a Mare” (Castle in the Sea), an ancient fortress that defended the gate of the city’s port during Arab rule. It was demolished by dynamite in 1922 due to an operation aimed at enlarging and reorganize the port.

The Kalsa occupies the Southeast quadrant delineated by the Quattro Canti.

Arabs founded the district of Kalsa in 937, and it was the residence of the Emir. In later centuries, they worked up many buildings around the quarter creating a dense road network that stays on so far. The name Kalsa derives from Arabic and means “pure” or “the chosen one”. The neighborhood hosts the folk Lattarini market.

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palermo – tour walking guide

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palermo – tour

walking guide

Quattro Canti

Duomo di Palermo

San Giovanni degli Eremiti

Chiesa del GesĂš

Piazza Marina

San Domenico

Teatro Massimo

Teatro Politeama Garibaldi

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