Agro Caleno between land reclamation and rural architecture of the O.N.C.: the case of Borgo Appio and La Balzana

The urban redevelopment project for Borgo Appio revolves around the square, restoring its original meaning. Once the center of social life, it was surrounded by public buildings, some of which have now been demolished, influencing the area's new configuration. The redevelopment project is aimed at the area's economic and productive development, population growth, and tourism and hospitality, and is extensively illustrated and documented in four chapters and corresponding sections. The project identifies four development directions within Borgo Appio: 1. a trade fair/food and wine center located in the central area around the square, for the center of excellence for buffalo mozzarella from Campania; 2. a residential center with a social housing approach that enhances and integrates private and public open spaces; 3. a religious center with a tourist reception center connected to the religious itineraries of San Roberto Bellarmino; 4. an educational and international school center offering various levels of education and a training center specializing in agriculture and animal husbandry. The redevelopment project for the rural village of Balzana in Santa Maria La Fossa is the second experimental project applied to a Fascist-era farm in the Agro Caleno area, following the previous example of Borgo Appio in Grazzanise. It is part of a broader urban and landscape redevelopment strategy for the Caserta area, with a focus on nature conservation and environmental sustainability, combined with the productive, economic, and social development of the Caserta municipality. The area, with its rural character characterized by a strong presence of farms, agricultural equipment, and facilities, must be safeguarded in its entirety, combining urban values with landscape enhancement. The hydro-geomorphological characteristics of the physical environment suggest the appropriate land use, for development in harmony with the territory's true potential and in continuity with the history of the area. The research topics covered aspects of the prudent restoration of pre-existing rural architecture for both residential and operational purposes, including the management of the former agricultural and livestock farm. Further aspects included the design of new buildings for new residences, a new buffalo farm for raising a herd of approximately one thousand lactating cattle, and the Higher Technical Agricultural Institute. The farm complex, covering approximately 6 hectares, is central to the entire surrounding area of approximately 226 hectares and is intended for residential use, community services, public facilities, neighborhood businesses, a dairy farm, agritourism accommodation, pedestrian plazas, and green parking. Specifically, it was designed to accommodate approximately 100 residents in twenty residential units consisting of ten pre-existing rural houses arranged around the courtyard and circular garden, twenty residents in four newly built residential units overlooking the pedestrian square, and a further eighty residents in a new residential complex with housing types ranging in size from 45 to 100 square meters. The first aspect to safeguard is environmental quality to protect the productivity of the agri-food supply chain in one of the world's most fertile countrysides, which in recent years has been subjected to a process of attack on its integrity. The goal is to deepen the study and knowledge of the area by understanding the causes of nature and historical transformations, in order to implement projects aimed at enhancing the productive, environmental, and cultural value of Terra di Lavoro.