Recovering a lost identity: the ancient riverside village forming the original settlement of Noventa Padovana

The debate centred on the regeneration of large cities helps to inspire urban planning strategies. In this case, however, we examine a smaller settlement, the river village on the Piovego canal in the territory of Noventa Padovana. This is the area where the population lived that was originally carrying out work activities near the bridge and the port and where noteworthy historical and artistic landmarks emerged over time, such as the monumental Villa Giovanelli. In this part of the territory, which gave rise to subsequent construction phases, the accumulation of buildings over the centuries has compromised the distinctive formal character of the village, with consequences on the quality of everyday life. Historical photographs depict the old medieval bridge with its downstream wharf where the barges used to dock and the houses close by. The construction of a new reinforced concrete bridge in a new location and the subsequent demolition of the historic onearch structure have resulted in the marginalisation and further degradation of the ancient settlement. The Noventa Padovana Municipal Council, in agreement with the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering of the University of Padua, has define strategies to recover the formal identity of the original residential nucleus, which has traditionally opposed the diffusion of the patrician villas built by the Venetian aristocracy. This is the topic addressed in this study.