Re-Composing Memory. The Former Bourbon Prison of Syracuse: from the Panoptic Utopia to the Real Implementation. Ri-comporre la memoria. L’ex carcere borbonico di Siracusa: dall'utopia panottica alla trasposizione reale

Primarily known for the wonders of the classical era that still stand as concrete evidence of the leading role in social-political and cultural Sicilian events, the town of Syracuse also shows other precious traces of its more recent history, yet victims of oblivion. Among them is the former Bourbon prison: today suffering because in disrepair state. Its recovery is essential, also by virtue of its being witness to an important part of human evolution. Starting from the examination of the historical and archival sources, as well as from the analysis of the morphological and functional evolution of this important architectural object, studying its geometry using the latest technologies, this paper aims to contribute to its rediscovery and re-insertion as a “living” entity in the city landscape. Keywords: prison design, utopia, cultural heritage safeguarding, Panopticon, Syracuse.