Chiostri San Pietro

About

The Chiostri di San Pietro (The Cloisters of St. Peter in English) was built in the early 16th century. It is two cloisters, a smaller one built in late 15th-century style and a larger one built soon after in a mannerist style. Although original a Benedictine monastery, its use has varied along the years: in 1783, it was converted into a retreat centre, in 1796, it served as a military warehouse. After that, it was used as a court of justice. It has housed an educational institute and later was turned into military barracks. In 2006, the municipality acquired the building, which was utilized for cultural events. Between 2017 and 2019, the cloister was restored as part of the urban development plan of the Por Fesr programme of the Emilia-Romagna Region 2014-2020. The complex is recognized as a heritage monument by the municipality. [1]

In their modern-day function, the Cloisters aim to promote cultural production and social innovation by providing fertile ground for a range of local actors, including public institutions, businesses, knowledge institutes, third sector organisations, entrepreneurs and creative individuals, to meet, create and experiment. [1;2;3]

It has an entrepreneurial incubation programme and provides entrepreneurial support. There are educational courses and alternative learning spaces. Training and capacity building courses for different audiences are offered. There is a cultural programme, including artistic, literary and culinary events. It has co-working spaces available. There is also a cafeteria on site that serves local organic food and acts as a research laboratory on themes like health, wellbeing and sustainability. [1;2;3]

The Cloisters supports processes of open and participatory innovation. One of the Open Laboratories is part of the urban development agenda of the Por Fesr programme of the Emilia-Romagna Region 2014-2020. Through the Open Laboratory, local stakeholders can experiment with citizen participation and socially innovative projects that contribute to the intelligent, sustainable and inclusive development of the city of Reggio Emilia. The mission of the Open Laboratory was designed together with a wide range of individuals and organisations from the local area. Leading themes are cultural experimentation, social innovation, young entrepreneurship, welfare and education, digital transformation and a collaborative economy through participatory and bottom-up approaches. [2;4;5]

Governance

The Department of Competitiveness and Innovation of the municipality was in charge of implementing the project. Due to the cross-sectoral nature of activities in the Cloisters, an executive committee was set up with other public departments were represented. Support was provided by the Emilia-Romagna Region, specifically the Regional Department of Architectural Heritage and Landscapes. [4;5]

Through a public tender, management of the Open Laboratory has been delegated to the Consortium of Social Cooperatives (‘Consorzio Cooperative Sociali Quarantacinque’), an association of Italian cooperatives working in the social, education and cultural sectors. [6] Projects are conducted in collaboration with a wide range of public and private organisations from different sectors. [2]

The cafeteria on site is run by a limited liability company wholly owned by the Reggio Children Foundation-Loris Malaguzzi Centre. [3]

Business Model

Renovation and adaptation of the Cloisters were realized with funding from Axis 6 of the Por Fesr programme of the Emilia-Romagna Region 2014-2020. This is an operational programme under the European Regional Development Fund. Of the total budget of €2.700.000, 80% was funded by ERDF and the remaining 20% by the Municipality of Reggio Emilia. The setup of the Open Laboratory, with a total budget of €1.250.000, is also financed for 80% through ERDF and 20% through the Municipality of Reggio Emilia. [4;5]