Perspectives for the small historical centres at risk of abandonment. A pilot project for the Granfonte district in Leonforte (Italy)

[EN] The town of Leonforte, in Sicily, is currently characterised by two antithetical phenomena: the abandoment of a significant part of the historic centre and an increasing urban sprawl in the peripheral areas. The paper illustrates the ongoing research on the historic district of Granfonte and the pilot project for a small block with two alternative scenarios: the restoration of the ruins and the recovery of residential use. The two proposals can be conceived as two phases of the same project, and as alternatives to the demolitions that nowadays seem to be the only answer to the daily challenge of living in this place.