Restoration of an oil mill in Pontedassio (IM)
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In the heart of Pontedassio, a few kilometers from Imperia, the architect was commissioned to renovate an old oil mill, known to have supplied in the past even the kings of Italy.
The building, located not in an industrial area but in the town’s historic center, initially appeared as a modest and neglected structure, far from the contemporary imagination.
“I was guided by the history of olive oil and the specificity of the place. At one time, oil was stored in large tiled tanks, similar to swimming pools. I reinterpreted that imagery by designing a compact volume, almost a cube, covered in gray and green tiles-the colors of Liguria-arranged in horizontal bands that evoke traditional local stone walls. The glazed facades, on the other hand, speak a contemporary, transparent language.”
The result is a dialogue between past and present, between tradition and innovation: in front of the entrance, on a lawn, a small installation with old stone jars and millstones pays homage to the memory of the place and the culture of oil.
