Along 35 km of Adriatic coastline, Ravenna’s Maritime Park reframes the shore as an ecological infrastructure: dunes, pine forest and beach are treated not as separate “scenery layers”, but as one continuous coastal system to be repaired, reconnected and made legible again.
Resilience is a spatial sequence
Developed through a long-term masterplan (2018–2024), the project – was awarded 1st prize in an international competition. It started from a clear premise: resilience is a spatial sequence. By restoring the dune–pine forest gradient and safeguarding existing environmental structures, the masterplan upgrades both ecological performance and everyday accessibility.
Mobility as an ecological design tool
Beyond connectivity and resilience, one integral move that was unequivocal: removing vehicular traffic from the immediate proximity of the beach establishments. Rather than “hardening” the waterfront, the masterplan shifts mobility onto a slower, landscape-led system of permeable paths and lightweight connections that prioritize soil, roots and dune dynamics. The project reinforces the two constitutive components of Ravenna’s littoral landscape, the dune system and the pine forest, by allowing them to function as living structures rather than as residual margins to circulation.
Four principles, one coastline
The project idea is based on the four principles of “Revealing”, “Mending”, “Amplifying” and “Promoting”.
In addition to the beach, “Revealing” offers a dual perspective—both immediate and intimate—connecting the sea, wetlands, river mouths, and countryside, while aligning with the tourism development initiatives outlined in the municipality’s plan.
“Mending” is to regenerate the interrupted balance in parts of the coastal territory to form a relationship between beach, dune and pine forest, re-establishing a r natural balance.
“Amplifying” the potential of the territory, by offering the visitor an unprecedented and captivating landscape, made of various environments – each with unique characteristics.
“Promoting” means maintaining quality tourism throughout the year, through a system of routes that allow the connection and enjoyment of coastal landscapes, offering opportunities for new activities that relate to the valleys and countryside.
The project in numbers
The Maritime Park is also a project of scale and metrics—where regeneration is backed by material transformations:
• 23,000 square meters of sand reshaped to construct new dune formations;
• Nearly 5 hectares of new natural and dune areas;
• Over 5 hectares of newly permeable surfaces;
• 15 kilometers of permeable natural routes;
• 5 kilometers of extended elevated wooden boardwalks;
• 13.000 new plants for forest replanting;
• 15 hectares of pine forest interventions – cleaning and filling the forest.
Design with dune – pine forest alliance
In Ravenna, the coastal landscape is not redesigned as an object, it is recalibrated as a living system where mobility choices become ecological choices. The Maritime Park demonstrates how coastal accessibility can be improved while actively reinforcing the dune–pine forest alliance that defines this shoreline.
Data
Landscape architecture: PAISÀ Landscape
Year completed: 2024
Other designers involved in the design of landscape:
Agence Ter
Studio Tassinari e Associati
StudioM s.t.a.
