The main purpose of the project of reconstruction of the Abbey of Santa Maria di Pulsano is to recognized the original value of the Abbey, trough its shape and the relationship with the landscape. The studying of the existing showed an articulated system of substructures, superstructures and accretions that have unfortunately compromised the "reading" of the architectural body. In order to restore the real value of the Abbey it was necessary the reconstruction of some essential parts of the artefact. The identification of the volume of the church and its position relative to the cave were made visible through the construction of a wall that emerges continuous with the nave. The project involves the construction of a new façade, in front of the current one, which is positioned on the traces of the one destroyed by the earthquake in 1731. In this way is possible to recognize the church's position and define a passage area between the inner and outer space. The realization of the loggia aims to establish a visual relationship with the land overlooking the Gargano landscape. Another design problem is the strong difference of ground level; to make continuous the paths at different levels it’s needed the identification of an open space on the side of the plain from which you can access various areas of the abbey. This space continues until the nave of the church and overlooks, through a large opening located in the axis with it, on the valley of Pulsano.
