Maredolce-La Favara

The workshop offers an opportunity for reflecting on and raising awareness of the issue of the traditional peri-urban agricultural landscape of the Conca d’oro, whose peculiar features are preserved exactly at Maredolce, a medieval place from the Norman age, with its gardens and orchards, the palace and the remains of a buhayra, a large artificial lake that although dried up still features an island in its middle and shows many traces of the ancient water system. In fact, the lake used to reflect the building, which was erected in the classical age, redesigned during the Islamic period and was later the residence of the Norman Roger II. It is now undergoing a major restoration work, supervised by the Soprintendenza Beni Culturali ed Ambientali of Palermo.

The work will be approached as a multidisciplinary design exploration to reflect on the history, current layout, future uses and ways to take care of a symbolic place for the relationship between city and countryside. The main topic will be the landscaping redesign of the Maredolce-La Favara complex, with a special focus on the citrus landscape, the historical analysis and creative interpretation of the water system, as well as the layout of the outdoor spaces of the palace, recently restored and to be returned to the city and district of Brancaccio.