A new research collaboration has been launched between the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the University of Perugia and the Antonio Meneghetti Scientific and Humanistic Research Foundation, dedicated to studying the village of Lizori as a model for the regeneration of living environments.

The research project, titled “Lizori Best Practices. Representative Experiments for Living,” aims to analyse the village as an example of integration between architecture, landscape, community and memory, offering a contemporary reflection on the relationship between people, place and environment.

The research employs advanced tools of representation and analysis — including digital surveys, BIM modelling and interactive representations — to document the transformations of the village and develop study models that can be shared and replicated. The goal is to identify practices and processes that may serve as references for the regeneration of small villages.

A central aspect of the project concerns its international dimension: Lizori is observed as a place of dialogue between different experiences, capable of activating research networks and cultural exchange between local contexts and global perspectives.

The project has been established through a three-year research contract (2025–2028) and will contribute to strengthening Lizori’s role as a laboratory for study, experimentation and dialogue on themes related to living environments and territorial regeneration.

This collaboration confirms the Foundation’s commitment to promoting interdisciplinary research, the enhancement of cultural heritage, and new perspectives for the sustainable development of territories.

Also in 2025, the Antonio Meneghetti Scientific and Humanistic Research Foundation contributed an official written statement to the ECOSOC High-Level Segment of the United Nations, held in July on the occasion of the UN’s 80th anniversary.

The statement, included in the official UN publication (E/C.2/2025/CRP.48), highlights the Foundation’s commitment to promoting integrated models of development rooted in culture, human dignity, and sustainability.

In particular, the statement recognizes the Lizori Project as a concrete example of territorial regeneration capable of combining:

• the enhancement of cultural heritage,
• social inclusion,
• intergenerational education,
• and the principles of ecological architecture.

Lizori was presented as a “living model” of a sustainable community, able to inspire global policies starting from the regeneration of a small rural village.

Read the statement

On June 13, 2025, Lizori hosted one of the Umbrian stages of the European project Urban Imprint, an initiative funded by the Erasmus+ program that promotes a new vision of a smart and inclusive city based on dialogue between universities, public administrations, and local communities.

The day opened with institutional greetings from the Municipality of Campello sul Clitunno and a welcome from the Antonio Meneghetti Scientific and Humanistic Research Foundation. This was followed by speeches held in the Foundation Hall by institutional and academic representatives, the President of TUCEP, and members of the Regional Directorate for Territorial Governance of the Umbria Region.

Urban Imprint aims to integrate academic research, urban regeneration, and participatory governance by developing concrete and replicable models of collaboration between universities and public administrations. Through thematic workshops across Umbria, the project seeks to provide tools for rethinking cities in an inclusive, digital, and sustainable way. Partner universities in this project include: Università degli Studi di Perugia, Universidad de Granada, Universidad de Aveiro, ENSA Paris-La Villette, and Uni Graz.

The workshop in Lizori highlighted a vision of inclusivity that goes beyond mere architectural accessibility. In a historical village like Lizori, inclusion is not created through concrete ramps, but through the active participation of its residents—their industriousness and their ability to be active promoters of the territory’s development.

This is the core message that the Meneghetti Foundation wished to emphasize with its participation: a virtuous collaboration with institutions where citizens are not mere users but co-protagonists of change.

The Urban Imprint project continues its journey through theory, practice, and co-creation, offering the Lizori Project a new space for reflection and action on the future of rural areas.

At the 8th NYC Green Mentors Conference, held at Cornell University’s ILR Centre on September 23–24, 2024, Renars Raubiskis, representing the Antonio Meneghetti Scientific and Humanistic Research Foundation presented the Hortus Lizori project as an innovative example of how higher education can actively support rural revitalization and sustainable development. The presentation,
based on the research of Prof. Fabio Bianconi and Prof. Marco Filippucci, professors at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the University of Perugia, outlined how the project connects education, research, civic engagement, and heritage preservation in rural areas through a model that has already engaged more than 30 universities across Europe and beyond.
The Hortus Lizori initiative is led by the Antonio Meneghetti Scientific and Humanistic Research Foundation.
The initiative also serves as a model for knowledge transfer and capacity-building in rural areas, emphasizing the integration of education and heritage preservation. The Meneghetti Foundation continues to expand its work internationally, sharing its methods with other academic institutions, professional networks, and administrative bodies interested in replicating the approach.
The main goal of Green Mentors—“What do we intend to achieve? Responsible education for a sustainable future”—is perfectly aligned with the mission of our Foundation.
Hortus Lizori stands as an exemplary project supported by our research, reflecting the values of the United Nations and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).