Nostra Signora Della Costa Cultural And Experiential Training Center / Caarpa

Architects: caarpa
Area: 180 m²
Year: 2024
Photographs: Anna Positano
Light Design: Piazza Luce
Building Company: Co.gi.ta scrl
Structural Design: EXA engineering
Category: Cultural Architecture, Refurbishment
Design Team: caarpa
Client: PF economy
Country: Italy

Nostra Signora della Costa Cultural and Experiential Training Center by caarpa in Levanto, Liguria adapts a historic church into a multifunctional venue for cultural and professional events. Though likely older, the church was documented as consecrated in 1334 and later altered in the 18th century with presbytery expansions and decorative works. Following World War II, the building deteriorated after ownership transfers and was later used as a school. In 2018, PF Economy repurposed it as a training center, introducing a steel “cantoria” designed by caarpa, with structure by EXA engineering. This linear intervention reorganizes the entrance space and incorporates curved steel details referencing classical forms. The exposed frame provides new visual connections, with a staircase revealing 18th-century stucco. Restored frescoes contrast with preserved 20th-century layers, including missing plaster and pastel finishes. A slate tile floor was installed in rows, and the mezzanine offers views of Levanto and the sea through the trefoil window.

Nostra signora della costa cultural and experiential training center / caarpa

The history of the church of Nostra Signora della Costa in Levanto remains uncertain. A 19th-century epigraph records its consecration in 1334, although the building is likely older. For the following two centuries, ownership remained with the Community of the Borgo di Levanto until January 8, 1528, when it was sold to the noble Genoese family of Da Passano.

The expansion of the presbytery, along with the creation of frescoes and stucco decorations, dates back to the eighteenth century. An episcopal inspection conducted in 1872 describes the church as having a slate floor with marble squares, with all the walls fully frescoed. Midway up the nave walls were paintings of the Assumption of Mary and the Nativity, while the presbytery featured depictions of the Annunciation and the Visitation to St. Elizabeth, all described as excellent. After the Second World War, the building was sold first to the Curia and later to a religious congregation, marking the beginning of its decline. The ancient structure was significantly altered—the original floor was lowered by approximately 50 centimeters, and the hall was divided horizontally with a flat slab. Altars, balustrades, and other valuable elements were sold, stripping the church of its historical features. This condition persisted for many years; at one point, the space was even repurposed as a school. In the 2000s, the inserted slab was removed and replaced with a new flat roof constructed from laminated wood.

In 2018, the building was acquired by the company PF Economy with the goal of transforming it into a cultural and experiential training center intended for conventions, conferences, seminars, and events. The client aimed to increase the usable surface area by introducing a more private space within the existing structure. The architectural design was developed by caarpa, an architecture and landscape studio based in Genoa, while the structural design was handled by EXA engineering. The project centers on the insertion of a contemporary steel “cantoria,” a choir loft element typical of Italian churches.

The “cantoria” is a compact architectural element positioned within the main hall of the church. Its clean, linear design redefines the spatial character of the entrance area. The only decorative feature consists of two curved “capitals” that break the linearity and evoke the refinement of classical architecture. Acting as a mediating structure, it introduces new spatial relationships and seeks to establish a dialogue with the historic building. The newly added exposed steel framework functions as a spatial device that creates varied perspectives and alters the perception of the interior volume. A staircase wraps around the structure, leading to the mezzanine level and offering close-up views of the eighteenth-century stuccoes.

In front of the counter facade, two small rooms accommodate the technical systems. The restored frescoes in the presbytery serve as a visual and historical counterpoint to the walls of the main hall. In this section of the building, the project intentionally preserved evidence of twentieth-century interventions, consolidating pastel tones, covered markings, and missing plaster as an informal record of more recent history. Although these elements may be considered less “noble” than the church’s earlier features, they now hold both aesthetic and memorial value. The side altars, now without their original coverings, were coated in a layer of lime putty that reveals their softened outlines. The stucco, once obscured by time, was cleaned to reveal traces of its original coloration. The floor was constructed using slate tiles arranged in rows and framed in sets of three. On the mezzanine level, an open area overlooks the hall below, while the large trefoil window provides a view across the village of Levanto and out to the sea.