Shaping the Future of Villa Francescatti

How can we transform Villa Francescatti—a historic Veronese noble residence—into a space capable of fostering new relationships and embracing vulnerability, while preserving the building’s historical memory and balancing community participation with economic sustainability?

The strategy was rooted in deep listening and shared imagination to identify the leverage points needed to rethink Villa Francescatti as a hub where social mission and economic sustainability coexist. We wove together diverse voices and aspirations to build a shared identity and vision—one where care, innovation and immersion in nature come together as the core elements of an open, interdependent community space.

Overlooking the hills that face Verona’s historic center, Villa Francescatti is an elegant 16th-century noble residence of extraordinary prestige. While it has preserved its symbolic value throughout the decades, today it calls for a reimagining as a hybrid environment capable of generating well-being. The narrative starting point was the berceau (arbor), a structure that historically defined shaded resting areas among the villa’s climbing plants. This metaphor, which can also be traced within the decorations of the grand internal staircase, became the common thread linking monumental memory to a future of lightness and hospitality.

The first step in imagining the future of Villa Francescatti consisted of deep listening to the local territory and its Genius Loci. Through exploratory site visits, we observed how the spaces could re-engage in a dialogue with the city, complementing this analysis with qualitative interviews with local stakeholders. This dialogue brought to light dreams, visions and desires, as well as existing tensions, turning the critical friction points of the Veronese context into concrete design opportunities.

The heart of the process was the envisioning workshop—a moment of collective imagination where participants worked to overcome the biases tied to the traditional use of monumental spaces. During this co-design phase, the Villa was conceptually deconstructed and rebuilt, allowing new functions, such as a social bistro or a decentralized school, to emerge. Rather than mere services, these functions were framed as rituals of conviviality. The insights generated by this collective intelligence culminated in a strategic and narrative concept, mapping out the future identity of the place as a living organism.

Piazza Francescatti

It stands as a cultural, social, and ecological hub. A regenerated space, a laboratory for humanity and integral ecology, where desirable futures are imagined and co-created.

The concept, resulting from a participatory process led by Shifton that involved over 70 people including strategic stakeholders, third-sector organizations, Diocesi di Verona and local citizens, is structured around four interconnected dimensions:

Welcome | A vision of hospitality as a practice of peace, featuring spaces for social dining and temporary residencies.

Educate | The idea of an open, permeable school dedicated to experiential learning and active citizenship.

Innovate | A hub for civic experimentation, designed to incubate social and environmental impact.

Inspire | A garden of cultural biodiversity, where art and nature become shared languages for coexistence.