Header: Luca Petrucci Photographer
Piazza Garibaldi is a historic square that has seen the residents of Bevagna, in Italy, go about their lives for centuries. Once imponent, the square fell into a slight disarray following the passage of time, which doesn’t only affect living things. The city saw the potential of the space and decided to trust its renovation to Massimo Berzetta Architetto, asking the studio to create a layered civic space where people could connect to the history of the town.
Designed to foster both personal reflection and community gathering, the square is divided into carefully proportioned sectors. Each section follows classical measurements based on the golden ratio, which was deeply explored in Roman and Mediaeval architecture and is deemed as the most perfect since it follows nature’s own measurements.
At the heart of the square, the designers placed a fountain that now serves as a “liquid memory”, a central focal point designed to recall the fluidity of history itself. Sculptural elements accompany the fountain, referencing classical Greek and Roman mythology, the Renaissance’s allegorical style, and even cinematic symbols from modern Europe. These elements were placed to foster a conversation about history and modernity, myths and stories, visitors and residents.
A labyrinth motif overlays the square’s geometry, and wooden benches inspire contemplation and reunion. This maze-like element gives a sense of mistery to the Piazza, inviting visitors to stay a bit longer and imagine how everything must have looked 1000 years ago. Around the labyrinth, garden beds evoke themes from Renaissance botany, historical numerology, and Italian civic heraldry, with inspiration drawn from painters like Giotto and Gentile da Fabriano.
Here, historical symbols and contemporary civic functions intersect, creating the perfect backdrop for a stroll at any time of the day or a wine glass with friends at that moment when everything seems to get a bit more magical: when the day gives way to the night, just as the modern city gave way to its history.
The project was recently recognized by the prestigious BLT Built Design Awards, a platform that strives to share design with the world, winning the coveted Landscape Architecture – Urban Design prize.
- Company/Firm: Massimo Berzetta Architetto
- Lead Designer: Massimo Berzetta
- Lighting Designer: Massimo Berzetta Architect and iGuzzini Lighting
- Other Credits: Lorenzo Zangheri Engineer, Zambelli Srl, BIGMAT Edilizia Ruffinelli, iGuzzini Illuminazione Spa
