La Piazza Verde

Turning the "Void" into Value: 5 Lessons in Urban Regeneration from "La Piazza Verde"

1. Introduction: The Power of Rediscovery

Nonantola's former roller-skating rink was a functional "void", a leftover of the past waiting for a new story. The metamorphosis of this site into "Piazza Verde" is not just a landscape architecture exercise, but a lesson in giving communities room to breathe.

2. Topography as an Atmospheric Shield

The site's main constraint, a roughly one-metre drop below street level, becomes the project's key feature. The former rink becomes a garden-square naturally shielded from noise and traffic. The perimeter is no longer a rigid edge but a sequence of green terraces where local stone meets vegetation.

3. The Sensory Garden and the Ethics of Materials

In the north-west area, the project removes plastic and synthetic surfaces in favour of raw natural wood and hemp rope. Lavender, mint, rosemary and sage line the paths, engaging the senses of the youngest visitors.

4. The Visible Infrastructure of the Rain Garden

In the south-west corner, the rain garden makes climate resilience visible, with filtering plants such as iris, sedge and rushes, turning a technical necessity into landscape art.

5. Civic Archetypes and the Versatility of the Agora

At the heart of the project is a circular larch-wood stage, alongside a laminated-wood pergola supporting a retractable screen for open-air cinema, turning the square into a summer cultural arena.

6. A Dialogue Between Memory and Life

The existing commemorative monument is integrated through light stone paving, creating a dialogue between the white stone and the green grass pavers.

Conclusion: A Permeable Future

"La Piazza Verde" represents an estimated investment of between €180,000 and €250,000, with over 70% permeable surface and 400 sqm of new green space.

► Watch the presentation video: La Piazza Verde

Presentation video: La Piazza Verde