AN ANCIENT RELIGIOUS INSTITUTE TRANSFORMED IN ACCOMODATION FACILITY
Restoration of the Convent of San Francesco
Franco Luongo
The Convent of St. Francis is one of the most ancient buildings in the village of Cuccaro Vetere, located in the National Park of Cilento. The ecclesiastic complex was built in the ‘20s of the 14th century near the city wall surrounding the castle and was used by the community of Friars Minor until the early 19th century. Then, the suppression of religious orders by the Napoleonic government led to its confiscation and consequently to its abandonment. The first attempts for the valorization and the restoration of the building date back to 1991, but only in 2006 a European funding allowed the start of a restoration intervention aimed at the introduction of a polyfunctional hall for cultural activities, a hotel and a park service center for tourism and entertainment. The second phase of the restoration intervention took place after 2015 and involved the completion of the technical systems, including a lighting system, to guarantee the usability of spaces and amplify the attractiveness of the hospitality structures.
