LAP's 'Ponte sul Cielo' bridge to soar over Abruzzo's Pizzoferrato

Lap_Laboratorio Architettura Partecipata (LAP), founded in L'Aquila in 2015 by Mario Cucinella and Viviamolaq, is designing the 'Ponte sul Cielo' (Bridge to the Sky) in Pizzoferrato, a town in Chieti province dubbed 'Borgo del volo'. The double walkway near the Pizzo cliff will be visible from the main square and features cantilevered terraces evoking dragonfly wings, with transparent flooring near the summit. The project emerged from community workshops including a 'passeggiata di comunità' and 'mappa affettiva' led by a sociologist. LAP director Daniel Caramanico explains the participatory process: they identified the belvedere area as both emotionally significant and neglected. The bridge is part of a broader 'Dieci borghi, un progetto' network revitalization plan. LAP is also designing a preschool in Mosciano using local raw earth and 3D printing with Wasp, and a reception center for street children in Zambia. Caramanico emphasizes that listening is a political act, and that architecture must generate well-being for residents first, tourism second.