Regeneration of Piazza San Fermo e Rustico

The wish to give this important place back to the town of Caravaggio came from the need to enhance the important façade of the Church of Saints Fermo and Rustico. It would have been reductive, however, to strip the square of its current functions in favour of formal tidiness: that would have created a space that became a heavy void. Hence the need to support the project with an ambitious programme for the use of the square, linked to cultural and music events, temporary exhibitions and the extension of commercial activities. The project sought to emphasise the views from the entrances to the square, creating perspectives towards the portal of the Church of Saints Fermo and Rustico. The underlying aim is to connect the churchyard with the rest of the square. The perspective axes become marks and defining elements of the square; in particular, the design highlights the axes converging on the church entrance with elements in Bedonia stone, while the circular ring closing the bell tower and church front is formed by a distinctive Bedonia stone gutter collecting rainwater. As well as the churchyard and the areas in front of the church, the scheme also covered Vicolo San Carlo and the area beside the bell tower.