CASTELLUCCIO SUPERIOREBORGO DELLA SALUTE

Studio Valle Architetti Associati

THE TERRITORY

Castelluccio Superiore, located in the province of Potenza, in the southern region of

Basilicata, is at an altitude of 700 meters above sea level. The town overlooks the expansive

and uncontaminated views of the Mercure river basin, which flows into the Pollino National

Park, located between the regions of Basilicata and Calabria in southern Italy. Its territory

covers an area of 32 square kilometers and is bordered to the north by Latronico, to the

east by Castelluccio Inferiore, to the south by Latino Borgo and to the west by Lauria.

The town can be reached from the Lauria Sud exit of the Salerno-Reggio Calabria motorway

(A2), continuing for a few kilometers along the Calabrian state road 19 (SS 19) and the 46

Peschiera provincial road. The two main airports used to access the area are those of

Lamezia Terme to the south and of Naples to the north, both about a two-hour drive away.

The territory of Castelluccio is located within the confines of the Pollino Natural Park, whose

woods and forests stretch to the limits of the inhabited areas. The territory is rich in springs

and other waterways, such as the Peschiera stream, which was historically used for irrigation

and to operate numerous baronial mills. In nearby Latronico, the ancient Lucanian thermal

baths - whose waters have been renowned since prehistoric times for their therapeutic

virtues - are still in use.

INTRODUCTION

THE TOWN

The origins of the historic city center can be traced back to the late medieval period, as

evidenced by the presence of ruins of the original defensive structure and by the castle from

which the name of the town derives. However, it is possible to trace the town’s origins back

even further, to pre-Roman times. The morphology of the town is strongly influenced by its

development during the Middle Ages and by its topographical characteristics. The altitude

of the village ranges between 650 and 750 meters above sea level, and the mountain slope

on which it is based has lent itself to defining a complex fabric of terraced buildings that

overlook the landscape and have grown through progressive additions.

The inhabited residential area twists and turns steeply upwards, with winding pedestrian

paths and vehicular streets, narrow alleys and passages, and wide open spaces, all

connecting to one specific point in the center of the town: Piazza Plebiscito, whose ancient

fountain once represented an important meeting point for the inhabitants.

THE MISULE

A unique characteristic of the town is its misule, ancient terraces located within the historic

center where medicinal plants, vegetables and legumes were traditionally cultivated.

Cultivation was made possible by an expertise management of the natural spring waters,

which, through canals and artificial ducts, irrigated the misule of the various owners in

strictly prearranged days and times. Even today some veins of water flow, following the

original ancient paths within the town. For centuries, the misule have represented an

important work of hydrogeological preservation on the rocky ridge on which the town

of Castelluccio Superiore has been built, and as such, play a role in preserving local

biodiversity.

After years of considerable depopulation of Castelluccio Superiore and a partial

abandonment of the misule – resulting in the risk of collapse of various structures and

in the significant hydrogeological degradation of the town’s terraced landscape, there

is currently a renewed interest towards this important element of the local heritage,

inspired in large part by the practice now widespread throughout the world of “community

gardens” and urban vegetable gardens. There is particular interest in terms of sustainable

agricultural and tourist development, focused on the production of medicinal plants and

integrated with unique cultural experiences taking place in the Pollino Park.

Thanks to its particular microclimate and its uncontaminated nature, Pollino is the ideal

environment for the growth of medicinal plants. The recognition of the economic potential

of the Park led to the establishment in 2007 of EVRA, a manufacturer of high quality

vegetable extracts from cultivated or spontaneous plant species. With the goal of enhancing

Lucanian (another name to describe anything belonging to the region of Basilicata)

excellence, in 2010 EVRA launched the micro production chain of medicinal plants, in

collaboration with the Lucana Agency for Development and Innovation in Agriculture, for

the identification, protection and certification of biodiversity. EVRA currently collaborates

with over forty farms located within the park for its production processes.

GENERAL PROPOSAL: “IL BORGO DELLA SALUTE”

EVRA represents a virtuous example of the synergy between realizing the agricultural

potential of a territory and exercising productive interests, all within the framework of the

recovery of the land and the wellness opportunities linked to the natural environment. In

this context, the presence of the misule within the historic center, their consolidated link

with the cultivation of medicinal plants, and their curative, healing properties all offer great

potential for growth, all of which makes Castelluccio Superiore the possible fulcrum of a

system of integrated health services.

The compresence of these two realities, one relating to the land and the other to the

entrepreneurial spirit inspired by the land, offers the key to an ecologically sustainable

development, linked to the values and lifestyle of the Mediterranean tradition. This provides

a strong basis on which to create a compelling wellness tourism offering, capable of

distinguishing itself from the other generic wellness offers already present within the area.

The plan is to create a network of services within the village, conceived as an implementation

and operational arm of FRAME, the EVRA project dedicated to anti-aging treatments.

Structured in the form of orientation and training centers, laboratories, clinics, counseling

and treatment centers, the system will focus in particular on diagnostic and therapeutic

activities linked to natural, phyto-therapeutic treatments and regimens, to be implemented

as a supplement to the Mediterranean diet.

The ultimate goal is to create a Borgo della Salute, or rather, a health village, a composite

structure capable of delivering a complete range of services aimed at preventing chronic

diseases, improving health, delaying aging processes and increasing both the quality and

longevity of life.

The strengths of the region, ranging from the land itself to the historical building heritage,

and from the richness of the natural resources to the quality of the spring waters and

the presence of the misule, can be harnessed and integrated in order to define a holistic

offering of physical and mental regeneration.

THE TOURIST OFFERING

In a broader context, the village will be the center of a territorial network capable of involving

public and private entities. It will be the focal point that connects the various touristic,

nature-oriented, agricultural and food businesses present in the territory, expanding and

integrating the region’s rich wellness offering – for example, the Latronico Thermal Baths,

the hiking and sports offered in the Pollino Park (such as rafting, trekking, biking, and

paragliding) and the cultivation of medicinal plants, among other activities.

In this way, a complete and differentiated structure is set up, able to calibrate its offering

based on the needs of the clientele, in terms of duration, treatments and costs, and

structured to satisfy diverse wellness needs. With an anti-ageing approach and a focus

on the principles of integrated healing using nutraceuticals, the offers can range from a

vacation based on simple relaxation, to one with depurative or anti-aging treatments, all

the way to retreats for post-surgery or post-trauma recovery.

THE DIFFUSED HOTEL

To support the Borgo della Salute, a flexible hospitality offer will be developed, able to

adapt to different requests for accommodation and to different user groups more effectively

than the traditional hotel. The demographic decrease that in recent decades has greatly

depopulated the town, leaving a large number of empty or abandoned buildings, can now

become a potential for the restoration of the village through purposeful, respectful, and

targeted interventions.

As a reference point, one could use the model of a “diffused hotel,” whose goal would be

to restore and maintain the artistic and cultural heritage of the village and also increase

employment and income levels of inhabitants, without “contaminating” its culture, environment,

and identity, but rather, allowing for development that has minimum environmental impact

and is capable of restoring already-existing structures.

The diffused hotel can also have the role of cultural and economic “host” of the historic

centers, particularly in small cities, using the “reception” also as an “information office”

and facilitating the return and re-establishment of various dynamics relating to residential,

commercial and artisan activities within the community and ecosystem of the village.

This model, due to its intrinsic characteristics of flexibility and adaptability to local contexts,

can progressively expand even beyond the boundaries of the municipality of Castelluccio,

involving neighboring towns in a wide-ranging project of establishing the infrastructure and

receptivity necessary for integrating and supporting the existing tourist services.

traditional hotel diffused hotel

To pursue the objectives indicated so far, a series of specific interventions will be carried

out on a territorial, urban and building scale:

ACTIONS ON THE LAND

• Mapping, gradual arrangement and / or restructuring (in phases), promotion of bicycle/

pedestrian/vehicle paths aimed at getting to know the area; they will connect the farms

that cultivate the medicinal plants, combining the knowledge of the territory with that of

the crops related to health and wellness.

• Crop arrangement with access routes for visitors supported by information signs. The

routes can be promoted with seasonal variations linked to the different timing of the

crops and the colors of the natural landscape.

• Creation of a refreshment point (a lightweight kiosk-stand type structure) located at the

farms to promote the awareness and sale of natural products.

• Gradual redevelopment (in phases) of the production centers linked to the transformation

of medicinal plants, according to the concept of the “green factory,” through landscape-

THEMES AND STRATEGIES FOR THE CREATION OF THE BORGO DELLA SALUTE

environmental arrangements of open spaces, service and building areas aimed at

integration within the landscape.

• Mapping, gradual arrangement and/or restructuring (in phases), and promotion of

services related to health care in Castelluccio. Involvement of owner-managers in

promotion incentives (for example through the European program).

• Creation, incentivizing, and promotion of a transport network that makes the Borgo

della Salute accessible from nearby airports, stations, or other tourist resorts on the

coast, and connects the network of services in the area: agreement with the public

transport company operating in the territory and/or with the Italian Railway Service,

creation of a tourist flight service in the territory, shuttle services, etc.

ACTIONS ON THE HISTORIC CENTER

• Identification of a series of outdoor spaces (streets, squares, parking lots and

private courtyards) to be integrated with natural/ecological landscape materials

and interventions aimed at transforming urban greenery into a showcase for the

promotion of medicinal products. Pedestrian surfaces and “street furniture” will be

integrated with landscaping.

• Identification of a series of buildings / residences and, after a restructuring phase,

putting them into service as a diffused hotel serving the Borgo della Salute. They can

be individual buildings or courtyards with multiple houses, urban blocks configured

as mini-settlements (with possible growth over time). These residences can offer not

only typical accommodation but also be equipped with hospital services (such as in

the case of assisted living). The goal is to enhance the rural and urban architecture

of the village. The offering of the diffused hotel must be integrated with the dwellings

of local residents and other activities (businesses and artisan activities, etc.) already

existing in the buildings, in order to promote interaction between the population and

visitors. The building works can be promoted with incentives to individuals through

contributions, shared rents, an information network of the services of the diffused

hotel and the creation of a housekeeping/cleaning service.

• Identification of an existing building within the historic center to be transformed and

used as an Information Center for activities promoted by the Borgo della Salute. It

includes a multi-purpose hall for conferences and exhibitions, a library, offices and

service desks, and potentially laboratories and clinics.

• Identification of an existing building to be transformed into a Research Center and

Outpatient Department (if separate from the Information Center) or an existing health

facility to be redeveloped or integrated. This structure can be found in the historic

center or in the surrounding area.

• Identification of existing artisan laboratories in the historic center and proposal of a

program for their gradual accommodation and / or restructuring. They will be merged

with the Borgo della Salute activities to promote an integrated work fabric that restores

and maintains traditional crafts.

• Mapping, gradual refurbishment and / or restructuring (in phases), and promotion

of landscape paths within the misule, aimed at the knowledge and promotion of the

medicinal plants and local crops.

• Mapping, gradual arrangement and / or restructuring (in phases), and promotion

of the spring water system within the village; the resource can be enhanced by

restoring traditional irrigation systems (also for educational / illustrative purposes) in

a wellness or recreational perspective (outdoor pools, hydrotherapy).

ACTIONS ON BUILDINGS IN THE HISTORIC CENTER

• Identification of ecological and light construction techniques to be applied as a

standard for the renovation of buildings in Castelluccio (e.g. wooden frame, Xlamm,

monolithic brick wall, lightly reinforced wall made of wood-cement blocks, etc.). The

“diffused hotel building site” can be promoted thanks to the identification of one or

more local building contractors that offer building works with light, natural materials

(prefabricated) at a cost that can be controlled and integrated with public contribution,

allowing a unitary management of the urban renovation that is distributed over time.

Businesses can be supported by a network of local designers who apply shared

technologies and offer consulting/design services at controlled costs.

• Identification of a series of dimensional and functional standards to be applied in

renovation interventions (service modules, kitchens, hotel-type rooms, hospital-type

rooms, office-type rooms) with the development of a “Borgo della Salute Environment

Manual” to be offered to real estate operators. This will allow the transformation over

time and the functional modification of the interventions, guaranteeing a more flexible

use and the generation of income coming from the renovated buildings, which will be

open to different types of investors.

• Identification of an abacus of building finishes for the historic center (to be agreed

upon with the Municipality) that uses traditional materials and regulates exterior

finishes.

• Identification of ecological construction techniques to be applied as a standard for the

creation of temporary or semi-permanent structures to be located within the misule

and designed for temporary events, seasonal uses, etc.

ACTIONS ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE HISTORIC CENTER

• Organization and promotion of an annual (or seasonal) environmental art festival (or

landscape design) that incorporates medicinal plants or local materials, which will

distinguish the village and enrich the landscape. The interventions can be temporary or

permanent, enriching the environment from year to year and progressively becoming a

sort of Environmental Art Park.

• Organization and promotion of conferences and courses aimed at the knowledge of

local medicinal plants and related healing therapies (Botanicum) to promote the image

of Castelluccio as the ideal venue for meetings and conferences on the subject.

Studio Valle Architetti Associati

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