An architectural heritage which dates back to 1673 in Turin. A centuries-old journey. An intense dialogue with conservation institutions, the city council and persons. This is the tale of the restoration of a building and of an era.

The Isolato di Sant’Apollonia is one of the few structures which survived the WWII bombings. A tangible evidence of what the city looked like in the XVII century, overlooking Via Po and the hills around Turin.

As usual, the renovation project starts in the historical archives, leafing through ancient documents and designs. The researches on the artifacts are then organized on paper and subject to critical interpretation, in order to find the right solution to bring back the asset’s original look.

In 1673, Amedeo di Castellamonte designed the Capitol City’s second expansion towards the Po River, on a stretch of the ancient Strada della Calce. A scenic connection between Turin’s city center and the hills, the countryside. The need for a new city planning system along with a new urban aesthetic clash with the disorderly and cluttered aggregation of the medieval town. Piazza Castello acts as a connection between the past and the future, and the Contrada di Po facades project is the epitome of this renovation.

The square’s entrance blocks, unfinished until Bertolotto’s project (around 1830) are the theatrical setting of the perspective overlooking the river. This is where the Gris de lin, now known as “Gridellino”, was rediscovered: a pale bluish grey beloved by Christine of France, used for the decorations all around Piazza Castello. Light yet vibrant shades, plastic looks and geometric rigor are combined with technology to bring back to life this part of the city. 2,500 square meters of facades, 7,137 meters of scaffolding tubes, 438 workers every day, 9 months of work. One construction site.