The present research aims at revitalising the archaeological park of Megara Hyblaea through innovative strategies developed within the PON project “An early warning system for cultural heritage/e-WAS”. In this project Sicilian research institutions, universities and companies pursue the common goal of developing new technologies for the protection, enhancement and strategic management of the historical and cultural heritage. The ancient Greek colony of Megara Hyblaea is immersed in an industrial landscape that stretches along the coast of eastern Sicily from Augusta to Syracuse. The sense of the original place has been obliterated by an indiscriminate occupation of the land by industries which have left, here and there, an archipelago of “patrimonial wrecks”, which are equally close to the smelly chimneys and the horizon of the sea. This landscape of contrasts, dominated by petrochemical industries, has over time hindered a cultural tourism appropriate to the representativeness and importance of the asset, despite the efforts made by the authorities responsible for its protection. The paper demonstrates the need for a holistic approach to the revitalisation project of the archaeological site: the strategic design, understood as the story of the overlapping of “invisible cities”, aims to reorganise and re-conquer places through a new narrative coherent with hidden values, going as far as the experimentation of innovative technologies for the creation of facilities for the enjoyment of the park.

ICARO (Innovative Cardboard ARchitectural Object) is a type of innovative building technology developed by a working group at the University of Catania, within the framework of the EWAS (an Early WArning System for cultural heritage) research project. It represents a tool for used to combat climate change thanks to the high level of sustainability of its component. The modular component based on ICARO technology is a pre-fabricated panel for building vertical envelopes, consisting of a laminated wood frame that contains corrugated cardboard boxes. In order to improve the panel’s structural performance, a pre-stress procedure has been adopted. The panel is cost-effective and boasts a high level of sustainability thanks to the use of lightweight, pre-cast, recycled, and recyclable materials. This technology is suitable for the construction of micro-architecture in fragile contexts. In order to test its performance, a full-scale prototype called the EP (Experience Pavilion) was built within the Megara Hyblea archaeological area in Sicily, which was chosen as a test site. A campaign to be carried out at the EP is currently being planned, which will focus on various issues. This paper describes the design of ICARO technology and the construction of the EP prototype.