Path to Paradiso

‘Path to Paradiso’ is an adaptive reuse proposal for Mulazzo, a medieval hilltop settlement of tightly packed stone buildings and winding vaulted passages in northern Tuscany, where Dante Alighieri found refuge under the powerful Malaspina family during his exile.

The project aims to revitalise this shrinking rural settlement by remodelling, repurposing and linking dilapidated structures on Mulazzo’s hillside into a literary retreat inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy. An orchestrated sequence of indoor and outdoor spaces guides visitors through a three-tier architectural journey – a reflective pathway (Inferno), a communal café (Purgatorio) and a writing retreat (Paradiso) – designed to foster introspection, creative exchange and engagement with Mulazzo’s literary heritage.

The scheme explores themes of contemplation, sanctification and transcendence through the orchestration of routes, light and matter. Structure, materiality and form symbiotically interact, conjuring spaces that encourage reflection upon the passage of time. Locally sourced limestone and alabaster from nearby quarries ground the design in context, reducing its carbon footprint and enabling the creation of ethereal spatial moments.

Drawing on Dante’s allegories, ‘Path to Paradiso’ articulates the intersection of two fundamental journeys: the horizontal path of our shared, mortal life, and the vertical ascent of the individual soul toward a state of divine communion.