The Italian connection to the land and the food is highlighted in the lifestyles of medieval hill towns. A respect for and dependence upon traditions spanning centuries. This project’s intention is to invite visitors to interact with these traditions while effectively and efficiently moving them through a poorly planned town and arduous terrain. Ultimately, creating a new point of interactivity to economically enhance the state of Castiglion Fiorentino.
The project takes form as an agricultural production center to support the historically grown products of the Val di Chiana. A place where all types of local growers and producers can bring their raw products and process them into ready to serve/sell products, while also introducing tourists to this process. Educational kitchens, a restaurant, and small scale production spaces exist together with large scale production spaces and market spaces all focused around a central piazza. This piazza is one moment of pause along a newly planned route to move visitors arriving by bus or train through town as well as the historic medieval center at the top of the hill. This new route integrates itself within existing paths to complete a loop of movement.
To preserve the view from the hill above, the programmed spaces embed themselves into the terrain and invite the agriculturally planted land onto the building surfaces. Grapes vines, olive trees, and vegetables are grown on site to support the restaurant and educational kitchens as well as the neighboring elementary school.
