The “Loci” Exploration
Memory is one of the most important cognitive functions and the Method of Loci is based on it. The subject stores a series of memories by walking along a path, linking them to a series of ‘loci’. The loci visited trigger the memories associated with the place.
The project identifies and promotes a path of exploration in the village, elaborated through the involvement of citizenship and local associations and productive realities, through participatory planning roundtables held during the design conception.
Ascrea, aware of its cultural and social wealth, is acting within its municipal territory with the aim of revitalising the fundamental places of historical memory and the material and immaterial links with the territorial system.
The itinerary aims to tell the story of local legends, traditions, ethnographic and intangible heritage through
installations located at strategic points in the village, entrusting the narration to the inhabitants themselves.
Context
The medieval village of Ascrea, perched on a rocky spur overlooking the lake Turano, is a popular destination for hikers on Mount Cervia and Mount Navegna. It is an emblematic example of a small historic Italian village. Among the sleepy crossroads of its houses, it is easy to hear the dialect greetings of the elderly women sitting on the doorstep, exchanging recipes and stories. They share their daily lives, which from time to time are animated by the organisation of the iconic traditional festivals of Pasquarella and Pantasime.
Project
Conceived as narrative devices that interact with the site, highlighting its use and reinforcing its semantic value, the installations have been placed at four key stages along the path, setting up a ‘cosmological’ stop, a parliament, a hidden garden and scattered toponymic flags. The interventions enter into a dialogue with the real, the present, the dream, memory and community.
The wayfarer’s Aedicule
The Aedicule, public transport bus stop that connects Ascrea to Turano, gives a new meaning to waiting.
Composed of a seat and a map, the evocative object takes the form of a shrine, a kind of holy place of silence, contemplation and suggestion. It is a tribute to Ascrea’s material and immaterial heritage, told through symbols that define its identity and history. The map is a narrative tool that allows visitors to orient themselves in the invisible landscapes of the village and the inhabitants to recognise themselves in it: the drawings interweave geography and ritual, creating a spatio-temporal narrative between the woods, the houses, the peaks and the lake, in which festivals, harvests and episodes of daily life are reflected.
The Ascrea Parliament
As the heart of the village, this space has always been called “The Parliament” by the inhabitants themselves. A place of meeting and debate, it is a celebration of the importance of slow living and leisure. Flexible and dynamic, it encourages cooperation and togetherness, adapting to the needs of its occupants and to the quiet flow of time, a manifestation of a community becoming aware of itself.The 8 segments represent the 8 neighbourhoods. On festive occasions, the flags scattered around the village, the aegis of the toponymy handed down from generation to generation, enrich the seats.
The Herbal Garden
A small clearing in the dense structure of the village, a peaceful meeting place between the church, the cemetery and the summit, the garden offers an immersive break in the valley, introducing the inhabitants and visitors to the floral and vegetal heritage of Turano, with its seasonal cyclical nature, cadenced by the
town’s festivals.At the entrance, an arch frames the panorama of the lake. On the opposite side, another arch leads the visitor’s gaze towards the village of Paganico; surrounded by greenery, a bench invites the visitor to take a break among the indigenous essences of the valley, where the senses are overwhelmed by the scent of aromatic plants.
Banners and quarters
The village of Ascrea climbs up through small passages and unexpected views between the mountains and the lake. The Route of the Loci draws attention to local identity, tracing memories, customs and traditions. From stories and legends, it gathers the names of the old neighbourhoods, handed down orally from the collective memory.
The pinned up flags are the spokesmen of the toponymy of the eight districts: Mergheritelle, Jardinu, A Parte ellu colle, Lu Bucione, Li Puzzi, Vignette, Stalli Nove, Lu Stradone. The neighbourhoods become banners, created to be placed inside the Parliament on festive days, as spokesmen for the Ascrian seats.
