Gragnano's Vernotico Park wins design competition for urban regeneration

Luigi Centola's team, including Enrico Sicignano and Vito Cappiello, won the competition for the Parco Urbano del Vernotico in Gragnano, a town of under 30,000 near Naples. The project is one of three design competitions launched in December 2021 by Mayor Nello d'Auria, funded with €95,000 from the Fondo concorsi progettazione e idee per la coesione territoriale. The park, covering 56,000 square meters, aims to reclaim a disorganized area lacking public spaces. It will feature urban gardens, sports fields, cycling and pedestrian paths, event spaces, and areas for children and seniors, while preserving agricultural heritage and enhancing views of Mount Vesuvius. The project also includes planting historical grain varieties to celebrate Gragnano's pasta-making identity. The winning designs were presented to the public on July 2, 2024. Next steps involve securing full funding and expropriating private land. Centola's firm also recently won a tender for a women's shelter in Corleone, Sicily, funded by PNRR.