Private house

Valeggio sul Mincio, Verona, Italy

The area of intervention consists of a valuable portion in the Mincio valley, between the Scaligero Castle and the Visconti Bridge in Valeggio sul Mincio (Verona).

The area is particularly important for its belonging to the landscape system of the Mincio valley, a system of relationships between historical-cultural elements that connect important historical buildings, parks and gardens, public paths and waterways, which constitute the connection between significant environmental situations.

The intrinsic value of the area lies, in general, in its belonging to this landscape, characterized by the co-presence of significant constituent elements from a historical and environmental point of view and characterized by the presence of physical-environmental factors that determine its overall quality.

For these reasons, the area of intervention is subject to landscape protection and with Ministerial Decree 2 March 1953 the area called Borghetto sul Mincio is declared to be of notable public interest and described as follows:

“The area in question is made up of various natural and monumental elements that make up a set of significant importance. It is in fact a fertile valley marked in the center by the course of the Mincio river: this is blocked by the imposing ruins of the dam and Visconti bridge, on which a local road currently runs. Downstream of this ancient construction, lies the hamlet of Borghetto, whose houses grouped on the banks of the river and joined by a wooden and stone bridge, form a complex known for its harmony and beauty. The Scaligero Castle, whose still preserved external structures stand on the top of the adjacent hill, suggestively completes the location that is being discussed for the restriction. Those present agree that the area of Valeggio sul Mincio and particularly the location called Borghetto, has great landscape and artistic value, pursuant to paragraph 3 of art. 1 of law 29 June 1939, no. 1497, and therefore unanimously approve the protection of the law”.

The external appurtenant area subject to intervention is also located in the context of monumental protection, being an area located in spatial relation with the protected asset (Castello Visconteo).

The property consists of a main building for residential use, a portion of an ancient and larger courtyard complex, and a large external garden area, much of which is terraced, which extends to the West on the hill, up to the border with the Via degli Scaligeri which leads to the ancient Castle.

From a strictly architectural point of view, the ancient corner building undoubtedly constitutes the presence of greatest importance and of undeniable prevalence. It is developed on four levels (basement, ground, first and second) and presents itself as the stratification of a series of more or less important renovation interventions, the last of which dates back to 1983.

The project envisaged a series of renovation and redevelopment interventions, both of the building and of the external spaces, up to the definition of the furnishings, internal and external lighting, external installations and the garden.

The design process has set as primary objectives the respect of the structural characteristics of the context and the assonance with the morphological peculiarities of the place: the existing physical represented the objective condition of the design. In consideration of the delicate environmental and architectural context, a material, formal and figurative repertoire has been drawn upon that discerns the compositional material for the design from the grid of the distinctive elements of the context, respecting the peculiar characteristics of the local architecture and construction tradition.

Project and work supervision

Massimiliano Gamba

Chronology

Project: 2020 | 2021

Construction: 2021 | 2024