south-west of Florence, in the town of Castefiorentino, Italy
Massimo Mariani Architects
Post By:Kitticoon Poopong
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Alessandro Ciampi |
Description by Massimo Mariani:
I have always felt tenderness for the artworks of the past because of their fragility. They’ve been very much loved by people throughout the times. They’ve been passed on from hand to hand, caressed and constantly cared for. A building needed to be made. It had to house 2 tabernacles and their sinopsies, which had been waiting long, in the rooms of the
public library for a final placement. In order to do this, in the historical centre of castefiorentino,
along Via Testa Ferrata, a building of the 60s had been demolished near the train station and next to the Oratoriodi San carlo. The new design of this building, which has a total area of about 400 square metres, closely follows the ground traces of the old building and it is luckily detached from the buildings around because it is located in an empty space which is a sort of square.
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Alessandro Ciampi |
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Alessandro Ciampi |
The building is rooted to the ground through a functional island-shaped base which solves the problem of urban furnishing meant in the classical sense (benches, flower pots etc.). The curvilinear base takes over the space around the building and, at the same time, people take over a little of the museum’s space: the base becomes a bench, a play area for children and adults, a theatre for small outdoor events.
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Alessandro Ciampi |
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Alessandro Ciampi |
The building had to be entirely coated with cotto; in this way, it refers to materials and finishes of some of the local churches.
Inside, the museum, is spread over 4 floors, three above ground and one underground. The ground floor is partly characterized by a low ceiling: a shaded area which quickly runs to the full-height space where the “Tabernacolo della Visitazione” is placed. This is illuminated by a cascade of natural light coming from the skylight in the ceiling.
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Alessandro Ciampi |
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Alessandro Ciampi |
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Alessandro Ciampi |
On the first floor, recessed into the corner-wall, we find the “Tabernacolo della Madonna della Tosse” which looks like a television screen. The staircase linking the floors, becomes a kind of visual path which frames the Tabernacles (now lacking their original context), according to new and constantly changing perspectives. It stops on the first floor, and then starts again on the opposite side thus reaching a room on the second floor, a naturally suitable space for small exhibitions and educational workshops.
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Alessandro Ciampi |
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Alessandro Ciampi |
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Alessandro Ciampi |
The building, due to its small size, retains something domestic; it is conceived like a home-studio where Benozzo Gozzoli, surrounded by his students, seems to join us while we’re looking at these frescoes and he’s still working on them.
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Alessandro Ciampi |
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Alessandro Ciampi |
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Alessandro Ciampi |
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Alessandro Ciampi |
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Alessandro Ciampi |
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Alessandro Ciampi |
The people
Architect: Massimo Mariani
Design team: Elda Bellone, Roseda Gentile, Alessandro Mariani, Giovanni Lunardi
Location: Via Testaferrata, Castelfiorentino (Fi)
Client: Comune di Castelfiorentino
Timing: project time 2004-2006, Completino time 2007-2009
Total area: 400 mq
Total costs: Euro 97000
