How Can We Renew and Make Villages More Attractive Thanks to a New Aesthetical Image? The Case Of Monteclana, in The Municipality of Nave (Brescia, Italy)

This essay presents the work carried out by the University of Brescia which got involved with the Municipality of Nave (Brescia) in 2014 to deal with the particular situation of Monteclana. Its position on the border of the town, outside the main route, the lack of buildings maintenance, the lack of public services and elements with appeal don’t allow for any other prospects apart from the progressive abandonment and the decrease of possibilities to bring it back to an attractive place to live and work in. In Italy this destiny is very common among many villages and local administrations struggle to contest it. The only planning tools available can’t regenerate these areas on their own. Moreover local administration has little room to manoeuvre because of the scarcity of public funds and difficulties in activating procedures with private subjects to stimulate any changes. Starting from the administration’s targets – to enhance the aesthetic image of Monteclana and to subsidize the participation of citizens in ordinary building maintenance – the University of Brescia has carried out a survey aimed at giving an account of the status quo of the buildings, bringing to light the whole complex effects of private intervention on buildings in the last thirty years. The survey analyses the method followed in each intervention and the level of the impact, due to the moderately free way used to operate on our historical heritage. Furthermore, the University of Brescia has proposed an operating solution to improve the aesthetic image of Monteclana. On the basis of an image, respectful of its preexistence, recognizable and shared with the citizens, the urban planning tools for the historical centre have been completed by guide lines concerning the external structures. Streamlined procedures have been established to involve more citizens in investing in the maintenance of their property.