Fabbrica Alta

Dr Roberta Comunian has been invited to join the Scientific Committee for the regeneration of one of the most important sites of industrial archaeology in the North East of Italy: ‘Fabbrica Alta’ in Schio, in the province of Vicenza.

The town had historically been one of the main wool manufacturing centres in Italy and was known as: ‘The Manchester of Italy’. The ‘Fabbrica Alta’ (Tall Factory, pictured here) was designed in 1861 by the Belgian architect Auguste Vivroux.

In its heyday, it hosted more than 800 workers. Then 2013 it was re-acquired by the Town Council, who wanted both to preserve the site for its historical value and also to re-connect it with the town centre and its community.

At the press conference for the launch of the Scientific Committee, Dr Comunian highlighted the importance of learning from the mistakes of sites that have been developed to attract tourists, but have not enabled engagement of the local communities and their creative and cultural industries.