Restoration and Renovation of Ugento's Castle

As well as adding value to this ancient feat of architecture, the project to restore and renovate the Castello di Ugento allows visitors to reconsider the modern age through the language of contemporary architecture, creating architectural layers that begin in the past and transport you towards the architecture of the future.

Inspired by the concept of the "union" between the historical and modern eras, it proposes a clever play on the balance between use of materials and design choices.

The project plans to conduct restorative and renovation work to protect the property, with the aim of conserving the structure and safeguarding its functionality by means of a systematic set of works which allow the building to be used for purposes that remain in keeping with the stylistic, formal and structural features of the building itself.

The proposed project envisages a museum facility where the new features are to be inserted alongside the pre-existing historical ones to optimise the points of entry, ensuring that the complex as a whole is inviting, welcoming and open.

Managing the works on the Castello di Ugento presents many difficulties due to the complexity of the entire architectural structure. In fact, the castle in its current state is the result of numerous additions and conversions that have distorted the original layout.

In addition to the architectural conservation work, there are also investigations of an archaeological nature that cover a vast area of the construction site. Furthermore, the presence of extremely important frescoes in many of the rooms prompted the involvement of experts from the field who monitored the restoration work on the paintings, plasterwork and stonework. A management office was therefore constructed as base from which to tackle the restoration work.
This was coordinated by architect Rosa Carafa.

The office comprises multiple members of staff: besides the overall coordinator, there are operational directors for the architectural work, for the structural and design work and for the restoration work as well as archaeological surveyors, geologists and safety coordinators.