Rethinking the historic centre: architectural conservation, urban regeneration and climatic comfort.
On Friday, 23 October 2026, the Auditorium Floridia in Modica, Sicily, will host Prospettive Urbane 2026 – Ripensare il centro storico (Rethinking the Historic Centre), a conference dedicated to urban regeneration, architectural heritage enhancement and climatic comfort in historic urban environments.
Originally launched by Coldwell Banker Maxi Real Estate in 2025, with Andare S.r.l. credited in the official event materials, the initiative brings together a distinguished network of institutions and professional organisations. The official programme features the Municipality of Modica, the Fondazione Teatro Garibaldi di Modica, CONFRESTAURO APS, which has formally granted its patronage, the Council of Notaries of Ragusa and Modica, the Order of Engineers of Ragusa, the Order of Architects, Planners, Landscape Architects and Conservators of Ragusa, the Order of Chartered Accountants and Accounting Experts of Ragusa, and the Provincial College of Surveyors and Graduate Surveyors of Ragusa.
This extensive institutional and professional involvement provides a multidisciplinary framework for discussing the future of historic centres, bringing together architectural conservation, contemporary design, urban regeneration, environmental sustainability and the economic and social revitalisation of historic urban environments.
Lorenzo Carmassi’s contribution
At 17:00, architect Lorenzo Carmassi, representing CONFRESTAURO APS as Delegate of its President for Sicily, will deliver a thirty-minute lecture entitled:
“Restauro e rigenerazione: conservare il patrimonio, costruire nuove possibilità”
(Restoration and Regeneration: Conserving Heritage, Creating New Possibilities).
The lecture will explore the role of architectural conservation and rehabilitation in the regeneration of historic centres, with particular attention to the relationship between heritage protection, transformation and contemporary architectural intervention.
Drawing upon the research and professional experience of Carmassi Studio di Architettura, the presentation will address the importance of understanding historic buildings and urban structures as living architectural resources, capable of accommodating new functions and changing requirements without losing their identity and spatial qualities.
Rather than treating conservation and innovation as opposing objectives, the lecture will examine how a rigorous understanding of existing architecture can provide the foundations for meaningful contemporary transformation.
A multidisciplinary dialogue on historic cities
The conference programme includes contributions from professional associations and institutions, followed by a presentation by Maria Lucia Gaudiano, Councillor of the Municipality of Matera, on the regeneration and enhancement of Matera’s historic urban fabric.
Carmassi’s lecture will be followed by a contribution from Daniele Mocio of the Italian Air Force, addressing climate and environmental comfort in historic centres.
The afternoon will conclude with a round-table discussion on the future of historic urban environments.
The event includes the institutional patronage of CONFRESTAURO APS.
Event information
Date: Friday, 23 October 2026
Venue: Auditorium Floridia, Modica, Sicily, Italy
Registration: 14:30
Conference: 15:00–19:00
Lorenzo Carmassi’s lecture: 17:00–17:30
The official event poster and full conference programme are reproduced below.
CONFRESTAURO Sicilia – Official Digital Channels
CONFRESTAURO Sicilia maintains dedicated YouTube and Instagram channels to document and promote its cultural, scientific and institutional activities in the fields of architectural conservation, restoration, urban regeneration and cultural heritage.
Through these platforms, the association shares conferences, lectures, audiovisual documentation, professional contributions and updates on its initiatives.
Follow CONFRESTAURO Sicilia:
Instagram: @confrestaurosicilia
YouTube: @CONFRESTAUROSicilia