Passeggiata nella valle dei templi

Following a careful study of the site and its orography, it was decided that the architecture would be built from the soil, from the lay of the land. In some cases the architecture adapts to the ground, in others, as in the case of the 62 m contour line at the Montana Houses, it reconstructs the ground. It was, therefore, decided to work on the elevations, particularly the one where the Montana Houses are located at 60 m above sea level and the next one at 62 m above sea level. From the outset, the idea was pursued of generating not a single building that would serve as a pavilion but an architectural promenade, characterized by the presence of septa, reminiscent of a fortified citadel. This unfolds along the hillside until it reaches Case Montana, the terminal point of the path. Intuition supported by the known importance of the walkway in the Athenian city, through which to understand the logic and conformation of the landscape. The first step consisted of identifying directions. In particular, two were identified given by the Temple of Dioscuri and the Temple of Hephaestus. They allowed us to structure the lookout points and the points of ascent from elevation 0 to elevation 2, along the architectural promenade. After parking his or her car at a parking lot we created at the driveway, the visitor is guided by septa and a succession of stairs necessary to overcome changes in elevation. The parking lot was created by exploiting and accentuating, as a matter of car height, pre-existing ground unevenness. By implementing excavation work, it was possible to generate parking spaces that were partly covered and hidden from the architectural promenade. In order to avoid the creation of architectural barriers, it was decided to create parking spaces for the disabled at elevation 4 connected to elevation 2 by a ramp usable by all, set back from the edge of the hill because it is intentionally directed toward the first staircase. The latter connects elevation 2, where there is the first viewpoint on the temple of the Dioscuri, with elevation 0. It originates at a large, centuries-old olive tree, a landmark for us. One proceeds by walking along a 2.5 m high septum that serves both as a retaining wall for the slope and as a parapet for those who choose to stay at the higher elevation. Originally this parapet was 1.1 m, but in order to make the view accessible to both children and the disabled, it was decided to lower it and create scarp beds that follow the unfolding of the retaining wall. After passing the staircase on the directrix of the Temple of Hephaestus, we come to a stopping point where massive seats have been placed, leaning against the septa that enjoy the shade generated by the wall behind, located at this point since it is barycentric to the path. Proceeding and passing the staircase directed toward the Temple of the Dioscuri, one enters the exhibition part of the route, in the vicinity of open-air courtyards that consist of walled gardens, created by taking Francesco Venezia's Secret Garden in Gibellina as a reference. The vegetation is embraced by septa characterized by the presence of slits placed at strategic points to enjoy particular views. In the first courtyard, the vegetation consists of local plants such as almond, myrtle and oleander trees that pierce the ground, framed by majolica tiles. In the second, citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges are placed in pots lined, in the same way as the pavement, by majolica tiles. Continuing along the path one finds oneself in an open-air tunnel that ends in a niche housing Sicilian ceramics, a prelude to the display present inside the Houses. Upon entering the Houses one finds oneself inside a unified space where the pre-existing manger has been converted into a seat and the two windows, of the same dimensions, have been used to place two Moor heads, framed by the landscape backdrop behind. The path continues inside the pre-existing patio, conformed in the same way as the walled gardens. Here it was decided to pierce the historic wall, generating an opening whose boarding could accommodate an object from the exhibition. This is followed by a room in which a staircase takes center stage and serves as an exhibition device for enjoying works from multiple perspectives. It wraps around a parallelepiped with hollowed-out niches housing ceramic plates, topped by a double Moor's head. Lastly, a full-height room in which a craftsman working on ceramics can be seen. At the material level, it was decided to keep the sandstone of the place as the floor along the walkway, evenly treating the walled gardens and the Montana Houses, the most secluded places, with a beige concrete pour. The floor of the patio inside the Houses and the walled gardens is embellished with Sicilian majolica tiles, which in the second courtyard also serve as a covering for the vases emerging from the floor. Yellow travertine was used for the baffles, a stone material in keeping with the rest, which could be distinguished by its smooth finish from the pre-existing porous tuff.