The depopulation and economic decline are impacting inner areas of the Marche region in Italy with the urgent need to find strategies to address the scope of these villages that struggle due to their size and dispersed nature. Local communities risk the loss of memory and cultural heritage if their inhabitants stop preserving the inheritance with their social and cultural impacts. Through a detailed analysis of the case study of Ascoli Piceno in the hinterland of the Marche, the investigation develops a strategy focused on the Renaissance palazzi, a peculiar type of local building designed in the fifteenth century. The great majority of these palazzi in the city does not host a function, and due to their internal or external structure, it is challenging to implement a re-functionalisation respectful of their history. The study demonstrates that, as propelling permanences, they can accommodate different functions, allowing the experience of a preserved artifact in the present. Their uniqueness and propelling potential correspond to their capability to enhance symbolic potential, heritage and identity and create new attractions. The project aims at the promotion of artistic, cultural, leisure and entrainment facilities, determined through participatory planning that meets the community’s needs. The data collected through in situ observations, archival research, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires developed an approach for cultural regeneration projects of similar areas to be applied in the Marche and other regions, contributing to the debate on how best practices should involve all stakeholders in cultural renewal.
Benedetta Castagna is a PhD candidate in Architecture and Planning at the University of Kent, Canterbury. Her current research is concerned with regeneration strategies based on a culture-led approach and applied to areas facing depopulation in the Marche region, Italy. Previously, she has researched the impact of the earthquake in the crater municipalities of the Marche. She holds an M.Sc (with distinction) in Architecture and Construction from Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona.