Archaeological Park
Egnathia (BA), Italy, 2011
With: Ciro Pizzutilo
Egnatia lies halfway between Bari and Brindisi, along what was once the Via Appia Traiana—the extension that linked Rome to Byzantium. The area’s allure resides in its natural beauty and in the traces of two millennia of history that still emerge among the tall grasses and cliffs.
In such a context, archaeological work is conceived as a true operation on the landscape. The new museum participates in this process by sheltering a section of the ancient walls. Along the coastline, a network of new pathways provides access to the sea, while light structures are designed to accommodate services and respond to the needs of visitors.
Here, cultivation itself becomes an investigative tool: by planting and tending the typical crops of the Mediterranean, archaeologists are provided with a living landmark that interacts with the territory, gradually revealing the original course of the Via Traiana.
