THE CASE OF APICE VECCHIO. Hypothesis for a conservation

Apice vecchio reflects the situation of most of the national internal areas which, since the post-Second World War period, have undergone a gradual downgrading process due to: population decline, employment and land use reduction, waning offer of local public and private services, social expenses for the whole nation, hydrogeological instability, cultural and landscape heritage decay. Intrinsic opportunities of municipal area can be inferred based on the evaluation of its potentialities and criticalities, though the identification of elements to be pointed out, picturing the most inclusive development strategies from a social standpoint and, therefore, an environmentally sustainable economic recovery. Thus, the focus on the “city of stone”, left to the surrounding production system, widens by facing an urban restoration analysis in which the areas surrounding the old town represent the catalysts for a large-scale renewal process; this analysis integrates the structural consolidation of the heritage of the ancient core from the abandoned town, being currently in a totally neglected and dilapidated state.