Archaeology as urban landscape. Projects to uncover the roman and medieval layers of the ancient city of Ancona

Archaeological and Historical Heritage represents an important strategic sector for the contemporary city to build on social value systems (ICOMOS 1994) and it is an occasion to enhance urban regeneration in the historical city centres (Elseragy et al. 2018, Wise & Jimura 2020). The occasion to establish reflections about the role and the meaning of historical and archaeological heritage for the contemporary city is given by a series of projects developed for the historical city of Ancona and its archaeological layers, interpreted as a key to reactivate parts of the historical city fell into oblivion. In fact, archaeological remains become, in the design of the contemporary city, strategic opportunities to rebuild knowledge, use and accessibility, through the design of public spaces able to tell about its palimpsests, valorising identity values e making them active spaces for daily uses by citizens and as touristic attractors. The paper intends to highlight the relationships between contemporary city and archaeology through theorical and renown case study analysis, and the presentation of a series of research and projects for the historical harbour and city centre of Ancona and its archaeological remains from roman and medieval period, through a design strategy that systemise the different public spaces along a ‘cultural-historical path’ developing a urban storytelling capable of guiding visitors and city users in the physical complexity of the city, regaining the lost identity of the place. This new narrative also allows to interpret the city of Ancona and its historical heritage in new ways, compared to the traditional readings of parallel paths to the sea, proposing a cultural-historical ‘gradient-way’ pathway that through squares, musealised remains and architectural structures at the service of archaeology, enhance the urban identity and authenticity of the city through its archaeological palimpsest and its medieval layers.