| Project Id |
4028 |
| Project Name |
Palazzo Innovazione, Italy |
| Description |
The Benedictine monastery of St. Sophie in Salerno was realized in the X Century AD and has a great long history of uses and reuses over centuries. In 1309 it become seat for Benedictine nuns, which use lasted until 1589, when they moved to another monastery. The building passed to Jesuits until 1778 and after this date it was given to Carmelitan fathers of Pope Clemente IX. In 1807 a Napoleonic decree suppressed the religious use and the building become a Civil Courthouse. In 1938 the use value was linked to education (public school). After a long period of abandonment, the monumental complex was recovered by the Municipality within the URBAN programme in Salerno (1994-1999) and it was used as place of public events and exhibitions. In 2016 a renovation and reuse project was proposed to the Municipality to use the former monastery as Innovation Palace hosting a co-working space for start-ups, incubator and venture capital services, meetings and events rooms. |
| Description of the economic, social and environmental impacts of the project |
“Palazzo Innovazione” started its activity in April 2018. The building currently hosts 10 start-ups and about 100 coworkers who find a peaceful and creative atmosphere in the monastery. The majority of users work in the creative and cultural industry. The brand of Palazzo Innovazione is strictly linked to the heritage value of the place, which represents its specific added value to attract businesses. Although scarcely perceived in the surrounding area, the adaptive reuse as innovation hub is slowly generating positive impacts. Commercial activities as bars and restaurants, once open only in the evening, are starting to open for lunch to capture the opportunities of about 100 new workers in the area. Local Hotels and B&b, as well as Taxis, served the 1100 people hosted since April 2018 for the events and business meetings of Palazzo Innovazione. Commercial activities are starting to contact the managers to propose commercial partnerships. |
| Web links |
http://www.palazzoinnovazione.it/ |
| Country |
Italy |
| City size |
Intermediate cities (between 50.000-1 million people) |
