Un affollato abbandono. Il cosiddetto “castello” di Pyrgos nell’isola di Santorini

The oldest part of the small settlement of Pyrgos in the island of Santorini – the so-called castle – is constitutes by a ring of buildings land some churches located at the top of the hill. Unlike the other inhabited centres overlooking the caldera – by now deeply modified by the needs of mass tourism – it still maintains its identity of ancient country. However, the same inexorable processes seem to increasingly threaten the castle of Pyrgos with a relentless succession of massive tourist presences in summer months and the substantial abandonment during winter. These processes represent perhaps the most complex challenge to be faced to halt the loss of local memory that they entail as they imply reconciling the needs of tourism with the needs of conservation. The current state of Pyrgos is a direct consequence of its recent history and in particular of the transformations induced by the 1956 earthquake that allowed the renewal of the settlement but, at the same time, originated of many of its current critical points. Starting from its nowadays state, in terms of use and transformations, the research defines the most urgent needs to allow the safe visit of the castle, proposing a succession of intervention phases characterized by an increasingly challenging effort. Subsequently the research identifies the key points from which a plan to manage transformations can be defined, by characterising three physical paths (history, sacred buildings, panoramas) within which each building unit and each public space is assigned a role with the common goal of the protection and enhancement of the castle.