Progettare attraverso il mito: le vicende del Gorgo Nero per la ri-fondazione del borgo S. Giovanni di Piazza Armerina (Enna)

The present work, the result of reflection initiated in the framework of a job and now undergoing further development, aims to formulate project proposals for proper preservation and re-functionalization, designed to reunite the borough S. Giovanni of Piazza Armerina with a contemporary society that fails to fully understand this place. The village object of this study was subject to a progressive transformation of meanings, interests and ways of conceiving space, which brings with it the signs of urban evolution susseguitasi the eleventh century to the present. Such a complex man-made territory remains the expression of the historical events that have gone through. However, the reconstruction of the myth, which binds the foundation of this place with apotropaic traditions and cultures - Latin, Arab, Norman and Christian around the motif of water - has been instrumental in the formulation of project ideas, which although almost utopian are supported by careful analysis of the contributions that distinguish them from purely abstract. The history and culture that shed light on the transformation of this site, deserve to be rediscovered on them to design appropriate protection and enhancement of a heritage that it is designed for scientific and educational activities, in close collaboration with the community and in synergy with institutions, could prove vital, support the economy and contribute to maintaining the local cultural identity.