Gabicce Mare Seaside Promenade: A Revitalized Coastal Public Space by Architects Barbara Balassone and Gianluca Mazzari

The Gabicce Mare Seaside Promenade, redesigned by Architects Barbara Balassone and Gianluca Mazzari, transforms one of Italy’s cherished Adriatic waterfronts into a vibrant, pedestrian-first public realm. Completed in 2024 and spanning 5,000 m², this ambitious coastal regeneration project redefines the urban experience of Gabicce Mare by prioritizing social interaction, sustainable mobility, and landscape integration.

A New Vision for Coastal Public Space

The project’s central ambition is to reshape the city’s historic seafront as an accessible, inclusive, and climate-responsive public space. By eliminating vehicular traffic, the promenade evolves from a conventional road system into a dynamic pedestrian corridor designed for leisure, community gathering, and eco-friendly urban living. This shift not only enhances safety and comfort but also reinforces Gabicce Mare’s cultural identity as a people-centered seaside destination.

A 600-Meter Landscape Promenade Along the Shoreline

Extending for approximately 600 meters, the new promenade unfolds as a continuously shifting landscape made of tailored paving textures. Through the strategic use of resin, natural stone, and wood, the architects crafted a tactile and visually rich ground plane that responds to the rhythms of the coastline.

This material choreography invites residents and tourists to wander intuitively, engaging with a green linear park composed of hundreds of shrubs and mature trees. The vegetation—selected for its seasonal color and texture—creates a living narrative of the Adriatic climate, allowing visitors to experience the shifting ambiance of dawn, dusk, summer brightness, and winter tranquility.

Custom Furnishings that Shape Social Encounters

Custom-designed furnishings punctuate the promenade, offering moments of rest, contemplation, and observation. The architects introduced site-specific seating, shade structures, and crafted elements that enrich the sensory experience of the walkway. These interventions provide pockets of calm and create natural meeting points—informal social hubs that strengthen community ties.

The careful placement of furniture and shading also supports inclusive accessibility, ensuring comfort for users of all ages, from morning joggers to families, seniors, and seasonal tourists.

A Promenade that Blends Architecture, Landscape, and Urban Memory

As the walk progresses, the route gracefully transitions toward the canal harbor. The final viewpoint becomes a significant urban marker, framed by two iconic pendula Sophora trees that signal the entrance to a small public square. This newly defined space engages with the historic staircase, now complemented by a new elevator shaft that seamlessly connects the upper town, the beach bar, and essential service buildings.

This concluding moment ties together the project’s core themes—mobility, accessibility, landscape identity, and the celebration of Gabicce Mare’s coastal heritage.

A Model for Sustainable Waterfront Redevelopment

The Gabicce Mare Seaside Promenade illustrates how thoughtful urban design can transform coastal zones into human-scaled, ecologically sensitive, and culturally memorable environments. By blending material craftsmanship, landscape design, and urban accessibility, Architects Balassone and Mazzari deliver a project that celebrates both community life and the natural rhythms of the Adriatic coast.

All photographs are works of Aldo Amoretti