A living room with a view in Borgo Bello

A hidden gem, awaiting to be discovered, sits in Borgo Bello overlooking a view to be enamored: The Terrace of via del Cortone. A place for local music to be heard, friends to gather, children to play, and a view to be seen. During the first workshop that was held on the 12^th of October at TIEFFEU Teatro di Figura Umbro, one local envisioned, “I see elderly folks lost in their memories and young people imagining a better future”.

Students of Umbra Institute were given the opportunity to create a common place to bring this idea to life. Although we all feel that Perugia has become a home to us, we looked to the native Perugini for their thoughts on how the terrace should be used. Two workshops have been hosted by students of Umbra Institute together with our professors of the “Urban Spaces: Rebuilding Community in Perugia” course, to provide an open space for the people of Borgo Bello to voice their visions of the terrace. Among the many voices in the two workshops, the common vision was to create a “playground” for all.

In the first workshop, locals envisioned their “playground” to be a place that radiates the culture of Borgo Bello. A place where new connections are built and childhood is lived, all while sipping on a warm cappuccino. The terrace will entice not only the family of four, but the college student and the old woman from down the street. These were the common themes valued when creating the design of the terrace, to be presented at workshop two.

Throughout our semester, we have come to understand the importance of place making, which has acted as a guide for this project. Place making is an innovative approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces. Put simply, it involves looking at, listening to, and asking questions of the people who live, work and play in a particular space. The community in fact “is the expert”. With this in mind, we took both our ideas and the ideas of the Perugini to create a united design. This included aspects such as a green wall to enhance the natural beauty of the view, a stage where art can be celebrated, along with a safe space where children can spend their days. Finally, one of our largest collaborations is to include a timeline that will exhibit the culture and timelessness of the city of Perugia.

Our hope is that these ideas will soon come together to create a tangible common place to bring new life to the Terrace of Via del Cortone.

The time is now… And we need you to continue your support. We are calling you, the residents of Perugia, to come join us on the 9^th of December at 6 pm at Teatro Bicini (via del Cortone 35) to learn more about this project and the future of your city. Over bruschetta and wine, we hope to provide you a sample of what’s to come in the near future of the terrace. Come create and improve your city, to help make this vision a reality!

By Stefanie Buffa, Demiana Khoury and Massimiliano Giannangeli