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I Custodi

a custode

Activate a place

Leave the door open… to possibilities.

A closed public place. An event bringing people to town. The door opens for a few days; then a QR code stays, and the place keeps talking: gathering ideas and looking for someone to bring it back to life.

Suggest a placeExplore the kit

A door opens again. So do possibilities.

  1. 01

    Something could start here again.

    A public place is closed. You can still see its potential.

  2. 02

    People arrive. Ideas come in.

    An event brings the town to life: the place opens, people meet and leave memories, ideas and offers to help.

  3. 03

    The door closes. The conversation continues.

    A QR code stays: the custode, the place’s artificial voice, gathers new contributions and looks for someone who could bring it back to life.

Five things you need

Check the five things, one at a time. How close are you to getting started?

Details on who does what0 / 5

  • You, the proposer A municipality, an association, a business, an individual: anyone. You bring the place, event and people together.

  • Whoever holds the keys Usually the municipality. They give permission to open the place and leave the QR code on the door.

  • The event organisers They include the place in the programme and the QR code in their communications.

  • The human custodians At least one local person, only if supervision is needed. Otherwise, people visit independently, with paper notes and a QR code.

  • The sources Older residents, archives, the local community association, the municipality: they provide the first memories.

  • The visitors Local residents, people living far away, summer visitors and those coming for the event.

  • The custode The place’s artificial voice. It says what it is, makes nothing up and handles memories carefully.

  • Rural Pop-up Events APS It looks after the format, reviews proposals, creates the custode and keeps it running.

  • Who could bring it back to life The person or group who may one day take care of it.

5 / 5

All set!

You have checked all five things. Next, suggest the place: publication and its QR code follow the review.

01 · Suggest your place

The kit

Everything leads to the same QR code: the place’s custode.

Choose a published place and download its kit with its custode’s QR code. For a new place, the first step is to suggest it.

See all photos of the event in Rocca Cigliè

The non-negotiable rules

  • The voice says it is artificial. Always.

  • The custode makes nothing up: when it does not know, it says so.

  • What it gathers does not automatically become true: people verify it.

  • Public and private stay separate: stories are published, conversations are not.

  • Digital tools prepare and extend human encounters. They do not replace them.

It has already happened: Rocca Cigliè

The former municipal grocery shop in Rocca Cigliè, Alta Langa, was a classroom, then the local community association’s headquarters, then a shop. From 25 to 27 September 2026, during the ELT festival, it reopened as a place for listening, memory and imagination. The door is now closed, but its custode answers.

See how it began

Suggest a place

Every proposal is welcome, but the form asks for specific details: they help the place get started, beyond simply drawing attention to it.

  1. Who you are, with email and phone number.
  2. The place: name, town, address, exact map location, owner (public places only) and current condition.
  3. At least two photos; videos if available.
  4. The event, chosen from piazzainfesta.it or entered by you. Or “No event yet”.
  5. At least one person who can really help, with contact details: whoever holds the keys, the organisers or a potential human custodian. It can be you.
  6. What is known about the place, with sources, and why you chose it.

Fill in the proposal

The association receives the proposal by email and keeps it in its archive. We will reply to you.