Open for a While
Isabella Petecca
Fabrizio Petriello
Valeria Petruzzo
Oltre is an independent research laboratory committed to fostering dialogue, critical inquiry, and in-depth exploration of the processes and effects of urban transformation in the Irpinia region. Originally conceived as a temporary initiative within the Order of Architects of Avellino, Oltre has since emerged as an autonomous and self-organized practice that brings together professionals – both local and non-local – who share a commitment to critically rethinking this territory.
The name Oltre (meaning “beyond”) refers to the Principato Ultra, a historical region established in 1287 by Charles II of Anjou to designate the lands lying “beyond” the Montoro Mountain range, along the Campanian Apennines. This geographical threshold has come to symbolize a broader condition of cultural and political marginality – an enduring reality that continues to shape the region today, often reducing a complex landscape to a simplified narrative shaped by deep contradictions in geography and patterns of urbanization.
In a province lacking university-based research infrastructure, Oltre positions itself as an independent and proactive actor, capable of generating critical reflections, research, and design proposals grounded in local specificities. Through territorial investigations, mappings, exhibitions, publications, and workshops, Oltre challenges stereotypical and reductive representations of Irpinia, aiming to dismantle the symbolic, physical, and political mechanisms that continue to marginalize the region.
Rejecting nostalgic or idealized narratives, the laboratory promotes a critical, situated, and forward-looking reading of the territory – one that reveals fractures and contradictions while uncovering hidden potential. By engaging architects, institutions, and researchers, Oltre amplifies local voices and fosters a culture of place-based design, positioning marginality not as a limitation, but as a fertile ground for experimentation and future-oriented thinking.
According to the latest reports by ISTAT, between 30% and 45% of ground-floor shops in small and mid-sized Italian cities are currently vacant, with peaks in southern regions exceeding 40%. In Avellino, as in many other towns in the South and inland areas, this commercial desertification has resulted in tens of thousands of unused square meters and a visibly empty urban landscape. This situation creates a structural paradox in today’s Italy: while big cities face a severe shortage of affordable spaces—with high rents and overwhelming demand—peripheral areas like Avellino have a surplus of vacant spaces that attract little long-term interest.
To address this challenge, we launched Open for a While, an online platform designed to reactivate vacant spaces in Avellino, where commercial vacancies are especially concentrated in the city center. Our aim is simple: to facilitate the temporary activation of these spaces. By mediating between property owners and potential users, the platform helps overcome key obstacles – such as landlords’ reluctance to accept long-term, lower-rent contracts, and a rigid regulatory framework that makes short-term agreements difficult. Our model encourages brief, low-cost occupancy, unlocking spaces that would otherwise remain empty and making it easier for people to contribute to city life – even if only for a while.
Beyond economic regeneration, Open for a While proposes a new urban model for Italy’s internal areas – one in which vacant space is recognized as a civic resource, a base for experimentation, and a means of preserving the immense built heritage of our smaller towns. By fostering participation and accessibility, we aim to support more dynamic, diverse, and resilient communities – counteracting the housing crisis in large cities and giving new life to places otherwise at risk of being left behind.