Poggio Aquilone - Survey and Repurposing in a Medieval Italian Village

Abstract: The site of this diploma project is the small hilltop village of Poggio Aquilone. The village, situated in the region of Umbria in central Italy, lies roughly halfway between Rome and Florence. The Region of Umbria is one of the least populated in Italy, characterized by its hills, river valleys and historical towns such as Assisi, Terni, Todi, Orvieto and the regional capital of Perugia with its 160.000 inhabitants. It is the only landlocked region in central Italy, bordered by Lazio to the south, Marche to the east and Tuscany to the west and north. Primary industries include agriculture, textile, and steel. Tourism has, historically, been relatively modest in Umbria compared to its neighboring regions. Poggio Aquilone, traces its ancestry centuries back, but similar to countless small villages and settlements across Italy and other rural parts of Europe, Poggio Aquilone’s population is dwindling. The youth, in particular, are migrating to larger urban conurbations such as Perugia or Rome. Within the next few decades, two-thirds of the world’s population will live in urban areas, and with urbanization comes large challenges for rural communities. In the specific case of Italy, many of the affected places are of great cultural- and historical value. Old buildings are oftentimes left abandoned and in a state of disrepair, while the rate of new developments and resource waste continue to soar. However, there is a lot of untapped potential in many countryside towns and villages – both social, economic, and cultural – that larger cities lack. The proximity to nature, an affordable cost of living and a peaceful and quiet environment to name a few. An increasing number of city dwellers are missing these valuable factors.  The project strives to explore how architectural strategies can be utilized to strengthen the independence of Poggio Aquilone through means of rural tourism – safeguarding its character and history while improving conditions for long term survival. The project consists of two distinct phases; the first includes an extensive survey and site analysis, the second a proposal for the repurposing of select derelict buildings into dwellings. The survey phase and following processing of the findings are integral parts of this project in their own right, as they have allowed for the exploration of current technology for efficiently and accurately measuring a site, as well as approaching an existing, sensitive environment.