The Lake Chapel of San Giovanni in Val di Lago is a small octagonal church, built in the middle of the sixteenth century on the shores of Bolsena lake, on the ruins of an ancient medieval church, along the Via Francigena.

The Via Francigena is an ancient road and pilgrimage route running from Canterbury in England, through France and Switzerland, to Rome and the to Apulia, in southern Italy, where there was the embarkation for the Holy Land. Nowadays many pilgrims still follow this route on foot, on horseback, or by bicycle, as the Via Francigena has been designated Major Cultural Route of the Council of Europe.

One of the stages of Via Francigena goes from the town of Acquapendente to the town of Bolsena, passing through San Lorenzo Nuovo. The main path crosses the city center, while an alternative path leads to the Church of San Giovanni in Val di Lago and then to the lake’s shores.

Participants of this competition are asked to reuse this space as a Pilgrim Center.

Is it possible to bring life back inside a late Reinassance church along the Via Francigena path?

The answer to this question is in the hands of the designers who will participate in this competition.

The submitted projects will be displayed on a local exhibition in the Municipality Hall of San Lorenzo Nuovo. The winning proposals and the mentions will be published by ArchDaily, other webzines, and on a ISBN book published by Reuseitaly.