Parco delle Rimembranze, Toirano, Italy [While at GS Design]

Toirano is a medieval borgo laying in the hillside of the northern-Italian Liguria region, 3 kilometers from the sea. I was asked by the major to design a feature that would improve the presence of the borgo from the provincial street, which connects it to the rest of the region. Located on the provincial street itself, only a couple of blocks from the entry to the borgo, this open, public plaza wants to slow potential tourists and redirect them toward the borgo. A short circular wall, at the end of a pedestrian amphitheater, offers a prime location for a stainless steel sign reading the name of the borgo. At the same time, the plaza respects and preserves the trees planted here at the end of WWII as commemoration of the citizens fallen in the conflict. Having visited the borgo several times, I paid special attention to the materials currently in use in the existing historical buildings as well as the new ones. The original design called for split face local stones, cobble stones, wood, and a shallow pool of water.