MWA Museums
Medieval wooden architecture is an incredible source of technical and aesthetic solutions, and a remarkable lesson in terms of relationship between Man, Nature, and Divine.
Thomas Allocca
MWA Museums is a private project by White Oak Arkitecture aimed at creating territorial museums on medieval wooden architecture, with academic research, archaeological inspections, exhibition halls, and full-scale reconstructions, connecting the museum activities to projects of urban and territorial regeneration. Launched in July 2023 under the name Winnili, since December 4, 2023, the project has been institutionally supported by towns interested in becoming research area and museum sites, through a memorandum of understanding. Since December 4, 2024, the project has been renamed MWA Museums, and the memorandum of understanding renamed MWA Compact. The project was born in the heart of the National Park of Cilento, Vallo di Diano, and Monti Alburni (UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998), and just one year later, December 2024, with 28 signatory towns, representing 3 provinces, 2 regions, and 1250 kmq, it became from local to national. The project also aims to be of social utility, connecting communities from diverse towns, each of them preserving their own unique identity, but sharing their individual histories within a broader context, different pages of the same book. Rather than being a single local museum that accumulates memories from various communities, the MWA Museums project aims at creating a territorial museum with several sites across different towns, but all of them contributing to a common medieval history. The project is inspired by, and it is committed to be aligned with the principles and objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs), the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UNIPCC), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), and the European Council Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage (Faro Convention).
Depopulation of historical villages is not the problem, but the consequence of considering cultural heritage as a synonym of product, while it is just a resource.
Thomas Allocca
MWA Compact
29 signatory towns 1301 kmq 49400 inhabitants
Altavilla Silentina Salerno mayor Francesco Cembalo
ST8 53 kmq 7050 inh 133 inh/kmq
DGC 113 | September 10, 2024
Aquara Salerno mayor Antonio Marino
33 kmq 1300 inh 39 inh/kmq
town resolution in progress
Campora Salerno mayor Giovanni Feola
30 kmq 300 inh 1o inh/kmq
town resolution in progress
Castelcivita Salerno mayor Antonio Forziati
58 kmq 1400 inh 24 inh/kmq
town resolution in progress
Castel San Lorenzo Salerno mayor Giuseppe Scorza
ST5 14 kmq 2200 inh 157 inh/kmq
DGC 38 | May 17, 2024
Controne Salerno mayor Ettore Poti
8 kmq 750 inh 94 inh/kmq
town resolution in progress
Conza della Campania Avellino mayor Raffaele Cantarella
ST11 52 kmq 1300 inh 25 inh/kmq
DGC 75 | November 14, 2024
Corleto Monforte Salerno mayor Filippo Ferraro
ST2 59 kmq 500 inh 8 inh/kmq
DGC 125 | December 11, 2023
project: Krunatun Medieval Museum, started in April 2024
Felitto Salerno mayor Carmine Casella
41 kmq 1150 inh 28 inh/kmq
town resolution in progress
Laurino Salerno mayor Gregorio Romano
70 kmq 1250 inh 18 inh/kmq
town resolution in progress
Magliano Vetere Salerno mayor Adriano Piano
ST9 24 kmq 550 inh 23 inh/kmq
DGC 59 | September 12, 2024
Monteforte Cilento Salerno mayor Bernardo Mottola
22 kmq 550 inh 25 inh/kmq
town resolution in progress
Montesano sulla Marcellana Salerno mayor Giuseppe Rinaldi
110 kmq 6200 inh 56 inh/kmq
town resolution in progress
Ottati Salerno mayor Elio Guadagno
ST6 54 kmq 600 inh 11 inh/kmq
DGC 95 | August 26, 2024
Petina Salerno mayor Domenico D'Amato
36 kmq 1000 inh 28 inh/kmq
town resolution in progress
Piaggine Salerno mayor Renato Pizzolante
ST10 63 kmq 1100 inh 17 inh/kmq
DGC 74 | September 16, 2024
Postiglione Salerno mayor Carmine Cennamo
48 kmq 2000 inh 42 inh/kmq
town resolution in progress
Rive Vercelli mayor Andrea Manachino
9 kmq 450 inh 50 inh/kmq
town resolution in progress
Roscigno Salerno mayor Pino Palmieri
ST1 15 kmq 600 inh 40 inh/kmq
DGC 144 | December 7, 2023
project: Yggdrasill Runic Garden, started June 2024
Sacco Salerno mayor Franco Latempa
ST3 24 kmq 450 inh 19 inh/kmq
DGC 7 | January 11, 2024
San Rufo Salerno mayor Michele Marmo
32 kmq 1600 inh 50 inh/kmq
town resolution in progress
Sant'Angelo a Fasanella Salerno mayor Gaspare Salamone
ST4 33 kmq 500 inh 15 inh/kmq
DGC 4 | January 11, 2024
Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi Avellino mayor Rosa Anna Maria Repole
55 kmq 3800 inh 69 inh/kmq
town resolution in progress
Sant'Arsenio Salerno mayor Donato Pica
20 kmq 2650 inh 133 inh/kmq
town resolution under evaluation
Sanza Salerno mayor Vittorio Esposito
129 kmq 2350 inh 18 inh/kmq
town resolution in progress
Serre Salerno mayor Antonio Opramolla
ST13 67 kmq 3700 inh 55 inh/kmq
DGC 124 | November 15, 2024
project: Zerren Medieval Museum, started in December 2024
Sicignano degli Alburni Salerno mayor Giacomo Orco
ST12 81 kmq 3050 inh 38 inh/kmq
DGC 119 | November 14, 2024
Stio Salerno mayor Giancarlo Trotta
24 kmq 800 inh 33 inh/kmq
town resolution in progress
Valle dell'Angelo Salerno mayor Salvatore Angelo Iannuzzi
ST7 37 kmq 250 inh 7 inh/kmq
DGC 34 | August 28, 2024
largest town 129 kmq Sanza, SA
smallest town 8 kmq Controne, SA
most populated town 7050 inh Altavilla Silentina, SA
least populated town 250 inh Valle dell'Angelo, SA
highest territorial density 157 inh/kmq Castel San Lorenzo, SA
least territorial density 7 inh/kmq Valle dell'Angelo, SA
top page photo by Wiglaf