Spello. Infiorate di pietra.

The following notes outline the design, management and implementation of the comprehensive redevelopment of the technological networks and historical pavements of the town of Spello (Umbria | IT), as part of the Integrated Programme for the Recovery in a complex post-earthquake rebuilding scenery.

The project entailed the construction of various underground and surface infrastructure, including sewerage, aqueduct, gas pipeline, telecommunication and fibre-optic cabling, electrical power transmission lines, public lighting and CCTV, and the replacement of extraordinary valuable paving, green space and street furniture. To provide an indication of the scale of the work, it is sufficient to note that the interventions covered an area of over 25,000 m2 of historical stone pavements, including streets, alleys and squares, with: 25.000.000 euro of regional financial contributions | 2.500.000 stone elements laid for the recovery of pavings | 250.000 line metres laid for the new infrastructure networks | 25.000 project study hours and contract management | 2.500 total working days on the construction sites.



The executive project drawings, which defined the positioning of new infrastructure beneath roads, were drafted with the intention of fully safeguarding the ancient Roman aqueduct. Furthermore, the sourcing materials for surface finishes have been selected locally, in accordance with the “Km 0” logic that has anticipated the most recent directives on environmental sustainability. In a similar vein, several functional accessories, safety devices and street furniture have been designed and handcrafted in loco, thus preferring the capital of local manufacture over any potential industrial alternative.



In view of the project's extension, its coordination was the responsibility of the Municipal Offices, which ensured that all necessary binding opinions, authorisations, and nulla-osta were obtained prior to the Conferenze dei Servizi – dedicated moments of confrontation with the Bodies for the protection of historical architectural heritage (Soprintendenza ABAP dell’Umbria) as well as with the Bodies managing individual infrastructures.



In conclusion, the strategic value of the overall project far exceeds its purely economic worth. Indeed, the requirements of an urban area, devastated by an earthquake, can now be approached in a comprehensive manner as a forward-thinking investment of historic proportions.