Your safe place in
heart of the Vara Valley
Free accommodation in Sesta Godano
Ideal context for research and creation
Dialogue with the community and the territory
Landscape, memory and sustainability
A place to study, research and create
This residence was born as a research and creative space dedicated to the Inner Areas of the Mediterranean.
The Vara Valley, a crossroads between the Apennines and the Mediterranean, is a unique vantage point for understanding the challenges of our time: ecological transitions, cultural heritage, communities, and new ways of inhabiting the land.
The Residency invites researchers, writers, artists, and cultural professionals to engage with this territory as a place of experience and knowledge production.
When
Where
September 15 - November 15, 2026
Stays from 2 weeks
to 1 month
Sesta Godano (SP)
Liguria
In the historic center,
at La Magnolia
What we offer
For whom
Free accommodation and information support
A quiet environment to concentrate and work
Researchers, writers, artists and cultural professionals
From every country and stage of the professional path
Topics of interest
Cultural landscapes, memory, sustainability, heritage
Interdisciplinary and experimental approaches
Return
Public sharing of experience
​
Conversations, readings, workshops and meetings
Ernesto d'Alfonso
The Residency is dedicated to the memory of Ernesto d'Alfonso, architect, scholar, and Professor of Architecture at the Politecnico di Milano, where he taught throughout his academic career. He held the Chair of Architectural and Urban Design and founded the University's Doctoral Programme in Architectural and Urban Composition, which he directed for over a decade. He was also the founder and editor of ARC – Architettura Ricerca Composizione, a journal established as a forum for dialogue among Italy's doctoral programmes in architectural design. Following his retirement, he launched Arc2Città, an editorial project to which he devoted the final years of his life with remarkable energy and commitment.
An original and wide-ranging thinker, d'Alfonso pursued an interdisciplinary body of research spanning architectural history, urbanism, architectural theory, philosophy, and the study of landscape. His work was driven by the conviction that architecture should be understood not as an isolated discipline but as a way of interpreting the historical, cultural, and social processes that shape places and communities.
Deeply connected to Sesta Godano and the Val di Vara, he co-founded the Conoscere Sesta Godano e La Val di Vara Association in 2010 and played a leading role in promoting research, publications, exhibitions, and public initiatives dedicated to the history, landscape, and cultural identity of the region.
This Residency seeks to extend that intellectual and human legacy by offering time and space for sustained research, critical reflection, and creative practice. Set within the landscapes of the Val di Vara, Casa La Magnolia is conceived as a place where dialogue across disciplines, cultures, and forms of knowledge can flourish—continuing the spirit of curiosity, intellectual rigour, and openness that defined Ernesto d'Alfonso's work throughout his life.
The Vara Valley is not just a place to observe, but a living laboratory where local stories and global issues enter into dialogue.
Ernesto d'Alfonso
An authentic landscape between the Apennines and the Mediterranean​
Historic villages, local knowledge and living traditions
Welcoming communities and relationship networks
A territory committed to sustainability and the future
Discover the area