TURN THE CISTERNS INTO A CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM

Beneath the historic center of Fermo lies one of the largest and most evocative Roman hydraulic complexes preserved in Italy: a monumental underground network of thirty vaulted chambers, constructed between the late 1st century BCE and the 1st century CE. Over the centuries, the cisterns transitioned from water reservoir to prison cells and air-raid shelters, before being rediscovered as a magnificent archaeological site today.

Participants in this competition are invited to interpret this spectacular subterranean architecture as a dynamic contemporary art museum, creating a dialogue between the existing historical monument and the demands of contemporary exhibition design. The goal is to sustainably revitalize this forgotten heritage, turning the Roman Cisterns into a major cultural landmark for Fermo and central Italy.