Landscape of Mugello

In the first half of September 20204 we will have the pleasure to host the participants to this event.

The workshop will concern the design of a staging points system for slow tourism along the valley of the Sieve River.

The system will complete the proposal of a 50 km cycle-pedestrian path, a theme the Florentine group will investigate in the coming months to explore the possibilities of extending the current route - now limited to the stretch connecting Borgo San Lorenzo to Vicchio - from San Piero to Pontassieve.

Along this route, which will pass through places differing in terms of features and typologies - a palimpsest representing the multiple layerings of the landscape of Mugello - the design activity will focus on the following themes:

1. Transformation of the San Martino Medici Fortress in San Piero a Sieve including a new wing. As the starting point of the route, the fortress is to be reimagined as a territory museum where visitors can become aware of the landscape they will pass through.

2. Renovation and transformation into a guesthouse of the farm buildings next to the Medicean Villa of Cafaggiolo.

3. Bilancino Lake sailing centre.

4. Set of punctual elements placed in key sites to mark the links to other routes or to highlight notable historical and cultural points of interest. These elements will be a) two pedestrian bridges b) a chapel c) a belvedere for viewing the rural landscape from a higher point of view.

5. Riding stable for horseback excursions between Vicchio and Dicomano.6. Guest house and wine tasting hall inside the ancient Castle of Nipozzano.

The aim of the workshop is to structure a path for slow road from west to east that will integrate the already existing paths, such as the Via degli Dei that touches San Piero a Sieve and crosses the Mugello in a north-south direction.

The workshop results will constitute an organic set of project proposals for the valorization The event is promoted by Designing Heritage Tourism Landscapes International network of Schools of Architecture organized by Università degli Studi di Firenze, Department of Architecture project coordinators Paolo Zermani, Gabriele Bartocci, Riccardo Butini, Francesca Mugnai, Andrea Innocenzo Volpe.

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