REGENERATION ADDRESSES FOR THE CAFASSO AND PICCIOLA WORKING-CLASS VILLAGES IN THE SELE PLAIN, CAMPANIA, ITALY

Nowadays the regeneration of abandoned sites is a problem of considerable importance because it represents an unavoidable opportunity for sustainable development especially in rural areas and industrial archaeologies. Specifically working-class villages, which were born since the 19th century as a response to the need of reconciling home and work in a single settlement, should be considered very interesting case studies as they respected the essential requirements of functional productive architecture without transgressing the rural construction traditions of the sites. Rare examples of working-class villages stand also in Southern Italy, in particular in the Sele Plain, a geographical area in Campania region, which was the subject of special reclamations in the past. A study on the industrial plants dating back to the first half of the 20th century and the annexed residential hamlets allowing the improvement of the workers’ living conditions highlights the chance of giving a new life to the Cafasso and Picciola villages built around two former tobacco factories once belonged to the S.A.I.M. consortium and now abandoned. The historical knowledge of the settlements allows to correctly intervene with regard to the preservation of authenticity and the safeguard of identity; their reuse in social and economic terms is assessed in a framework of environmental and urban compatibility; the rehabilitation addresses meet the needs of accessibility, protection of architectural heritage, functional adaptation and structural restoration.