The Fondazione Palazzo Coronini Cronberg Onlus has been awarded a grant of €1,742,000 for the project "Restoration and Redevelopment of the Park of the Palazzo Coronini Cronberg Foundation", as part of the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan), Mission 1 – Digitalization, Innovation, Competitiveness, and Culture, Component 3 – Culture 4.0 (M1C3), Measure 2 “Regeneration of Small Cultural Sites, Cultural, Religious, and Rural Heritage,” Investment 2.3: “Programs to Enhance the Identity of Places: Historic Parks and Gardens”, funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
The park was created at the end of the 19th century under the guidance of Count Alfredo Coronini and extends over a five-hectare area with different elevation levels. Its various natural and artificial components create a succession of evocative views, where green elements alternate with sculptures, staircases, terraces, pergolas, fountains, and water features. Inspired by the layout of Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg’s residence in Miramare, the park offers visitors ever-changing and surprising paths, rich in a unique charm.
The project and the restoration work have made it possible to recover the original features of the Mediterranean and landscaped garden, identified through extensive historical and documentary research and field analysis. Fundamental interventions were carried out on the vegetation, including the removal of invasive and hazardous plants, the clearing of primary viewpoints, and the reintroduction of Mediterranean species that once characterized the park.
At the same time, measures were implemented to enhance the perception and usability of the park, including the restoration of pathways, architectural structures, slopes, and retaining walls, the expansion of trails, improved lighting, and the installation of new signage. Special attention was given to multimedia accessibility, with the introduction of new interactive tools and routes aimed at innovation and inclusion.
The project, designed by the Temporary Association of Professionals led by architect Giulio Valentini, along with architects Mina Fiore, Antonio Stampanato, Ilenia Zimoil, and industrial expert Maria Grazia Wilfinger, has allowed the regeneration and redevelopment of the park while improving management, maintenance, safety, and hospitality standards to ensure its long-term conservation. The identity of the park has also been strengthened, enhancing its landscape quality and creating new spaces and opportunities for cultural and tourist experiences that will contribute to the economic development of the area.
Among the objectives of the project was also the promotion of the environmental values at the core of the PNRR, encouraging functions with direct positive environmental impacts such as pollution reduction, microclimate regulation, oxygen generation, and biodiversity conservation. The inherent features of the park, along with the educational activities that will take place within it, will help foster renewed environmental and landscape awareness.
These interventions have not only enabled the reopening of the park and free access for visitors but have also created the opportunity to host cultural, artistic, educational, and gastronomic events.
The works, carried out by a Temporary Association of Companies (ATI) led by Aprile Alessandro Srl of Sevegliano-Bagnaria Arsa (UD) in collaboration with Tecno Advance by Paolo Roberto Verre (Gorizia) and Esedra Restauri Srl (Udine), with subcontracting to Slurry Srl (Udine), Caporale Stefano (Fogliano di Redipuglia), and Lavorazione Artigiana Metalli (Premariacco), included significant restoration of the perimeter walls, architectural structures, and statues. The pathways throughout the park were expanded and repaved, making them accessible to people with disabilities. New systems for water collection and dispersion were installed, photovoltaic panels were placed, and protective barriers were added near walls and slopes.
The former swimming pool has now been transformed into a valuable rainwater storage reservoir, covered with a lawn to restore the unity of the rear courtyard of the palace while also making the area safer, more versatile, and enjoyable.
During the works, the historic staircase of Via della Scala was rediscovered, and its entrance gate was restored. However, further interventions will be necessary to make the staircase fully accessible. In the lower part of the park, a new path has been laid out, allowing access from Via Brass and facilitating connection with the trails already established in the 19th century in the plateau and the Rock Garden.
Finally, the area of the former Corno Stream riverbed, now equipped with fully underground facilities to preserve the beauty of the newly restored spaces, will serve as a venue for events and performances. In the area adjacent to Via della Scala, a space with fruit trees and an outdoor educational enclosure has been created, featuring a collection of materials representative of the different elements composing the park.
The project is not limited to the physical restoration of the park but looks towards the future, offering a modern approach to the visitor experience with innovative multimedia solutions aimed at enhancing and promoting the Parco Coronini Cronberg. These solutions were developed by a Temporary Association of Companies (ATI) comprising ETT S.p.A. of Genoa and GS Net Italia Srl of Rome.
Inside the Palazzo, a Virtual Reality Corner has been set up with six VR stations, allowing visitors to meet historical figures connected to the park and the palace. Additionally, an interactive multimedia station enables exploration of the history and evolution of the park and the palace through 3D models and a time-based navigation system. The website has also been completely redesigned with a new look and updated content.
For visits to both the park and the palace, a mobile app has been developed, offering users audio guides, virtual tours, augmented reality features, in-depth information, and interactive content in Italian, English, and Slovenian. The content is designed with different user profiles in mind, ensuring tailored experiences. In addition to children's itineraries, the app includes LIS (Italian Sign Language) videos and audio content.
Within the Palazzo, accessibility has been enhanced through tactile maps and Braille plaques to improve the experience for visitors with disabilities. Moreover, in the Virtual Reality Corner, a Sense station has been installed—a typhlodidactic model designed for the education of visually impaired and blind individuals. This bas-relief reproduction of the park, equipped with special sensors, triggers audio descriptions within the room, offering a multisensory discovery experience. The Sense technology provides an inclusive and extended experience even for blind visitors who cannot use VR technology. By combining tactile perception with narration, the model enhances the visitor experience. Special sensors activate the content upon touch, allowing users to explore the model freely and autonomously, without intermediaries that might alter the learning and relational experience.
To promote knowledge of the park and raise environmental awareness among younger generations, the Examina Association of Gorizia has designed educational pathways and workshops for primary schools, offering different perspectives on the park’s history, botany, and ecology.
ni che possono “alterare” l’esperienza conoscitiva e relazionale.
The project is not limited to the physical restoration of the park but looks towards the future, offering a modern approach to the visitor experience with innovative multimedia solutions aimed at enhancing and promoting the Parco Coronini Cronberg. These solutions were developed by a Temporary Association of Companies (ATI) comprising ETT S.p.A. of Genoa and GS Net Italia Srl of Rome.
Inside the Palazzo, a Virtual Reality Corner has been set up with six VR stations, allowing visitors to meet historical figures connected to the park and the palace. Additionally, an interactive multimedia station enables exploration of the history and evolution of the park and the palace through 3D models and a time-based navigation system. The website has also been completely redesigned with a new look and updated content.
For visits to both the park and the palace, a mobile app has been developed, offering users audio guides, virtual tours, augmented reality features, in-depth information, and interactive content in Italian, English, and Slovenian. The content is designed with different user profiles in mind, ensuring tailored experiences. In addition to children's itineraries, the app includes LIS (Italian Sign Language) videos and audio content.
Within the Palazzo, accessibility has been enhanced through tactile maps and Braille plaques to improve the experience for visitors with disabilities. Moreover, in the Virtual Reality Corner, a Sense station has been installed—a typhlodidactic model designed for the education of visually impaired and blind individuals. This bas-relief reproduction of the park, equipped with special sensors, triggers audio descriptions within the room, offering a multisensory discovery experience. The Sense technology provides an inclusive and extended experience even for blind visitors who cannot use VR technology. By combining tactile perception with narration, the model enhances the visitor experience. Special sensors activate the content upon touch, allowing users to explore the model freely and autonomously, without intermediaries that might alter the learning and relational experience.
To promote knowledge of the park and raise environmental awareness among younger generations, the Examina Association of Gorizia has designed educational pathways and workshops for primary schools, offering different perspectives on the park’s history, botany, and ecology.
