A NEW SQUARE IN CONEGLIANO VENETO

Cities have a life of their own. They change and transform over time, just like people, becoming something else entirely. In cities, it is the squares and streets that define the urban form through their architecture, and sometimes streets and squares merge into one another.

The proposal for the new Giosuè Carducci Square involves transforming the current avenue into a square. This is not just a metamorphosis of the avenue, but a transformation of what is imprinted in the city’s historical imagination. This has been progressively forged by the community’s civic experience and has been cared for and protected since its construction. This symbolic avenue is present in the photographic memories of Conegliano citizens and in materials preserved in the city’s archives and newspaper and periodical libraries. However, it is especially evident in the rich collection of postcards depicting the avenue and its transformation as seen by citizens and outsiders who have experienced it.

The avenue was designed to link two important landmarks in the city: Piazza Giovanni Battista Cima and the iconic Teatro dell’Accademia, with the new railway station. Starting from the triple archway at the top of the Scalinata degli Alpini, it continued down a slight slope towards the new station. Two long, elegant rows of deciduous trees were planted on either side of the avenue, arranged in a converging fashion towards the Scalinata degli Alpini and maintained in a geometric form to provide a perfect backdrop for shops and city life. Numerous historical postcards depict this Belle Époque era of Viale Carducci, with the avenue almost always photographed from the centre to show the large, converging trees, emphasising the perspective and framing the Scalinata degli Alpini. This created an almost initiatory path towards the propylaeum, continuing under the arches to Piazza Cima, and eventually up towards San Francesco and the Madonna della Neve.

These memories form the basis of the project to transform the area into a square. The proposal involves an experimental approach to protecting the old boulevard by planting new trees to recreate the original layout. This will be achieved by creating a second tree-lined perspective towards the station. This contributes to the geometric composition of the new square and frames a segment of the station’s arched façade equivalent to the Alpini arches. These elements echo each other on both sides of the new square.

The central area of the new square is defined by trees, new paving and lighting.

The paving design incorporates slabs of natural Lessinia stone to create a geometric pattern in the central area. These slabs are designed to provide access while maintaining the desired aesthetic. The natural stone will be laid on a compacted natural mixture approximately 20 cm deep, a 10 cm foundation screed with electrowelded mesh, and a 5 cm bedding layer of sand and cement. The paving will be bordered by a 1.5-metre-wide strip of cobblestones along which the main rows of trees, the rainwater collection line, and the electrical and lighting infrastructure will be placed. The remaining paving will be completed using the same cobblestones as in the adjacent streets. The paving is continuous at the same level, with different materials and tree and plant masses creating a sense of articulation.