Periferica

What Periferica does

Periferica is a non-profit cultural and urban regeneration organization founded in 2013 in Mazara del Vallo, Sicily, by Carlo Roccafiorita and Paola Galuffo. It operates through two Italian legal entities — Associazione Corda and Officina Periferica Soc. Coop. — with a core team of approximately 10 people. Its primary asset is Casa Periferica, a regenerated cultural park and community hub spanning over 5,000 square meters, converted from a disused tuff quarry and former 1980s kindergarten in the Macello quarter. The site hosts coworking (8 workstations in 150 sqm), a 9-bed guesthouse, event venues, and the Evocava evocative cave museum, which sits within a mapped cave system of approximately 200,000 square meters.

The organization's product portfolio centers on an annual international festival and summer school of urban regeneration (held since 2013, drawing 50-80 participants), the 10mq micro-architecture competition (which received 130+ project submissions from 30+ countries in its first edition), the Ricreazioni artistic residency program, the Aula Periferica educational tutoring service launched in 2020, and a professional studio providing urban regeneration consulting since 2020. Revenue derives from a mix of competitive public grants (Boom-Polmoni Urbani 120,000 EUR in 2015, MiBACT Creative Living Lab 35,000 EUR in 2019, Culturability for Evocava), workshop and festival participation fees, coworking and hospitality rental income, tutoring fees, and professional services to public and private clients. The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, with international open calls as the primary demand generation channel and partnerships with MiBACT, Università di Palermo, FARM Cultural Park, Linvea, Fondazione Unipolis, and the Comune di Mazara del Vallo providing institutional backing and funding access.

Name

Periferica

Legal name

Officina Periferica Soc. Coop.

Website

https://perifericaproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Periferica is a Sicily-based non-profit cultural organization that regenerates disused urban spaces in Mazara del Vallo through an annual international festival, coworking hub, cave museum (Evocava), and educational programs, serving students, public-sector clients, local professionals, and cultural tourists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Regeneration Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Historical Sites (712120), Landscape Architectural Services (541320), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations (BPAGAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Historic Preservation & Landmarks Conservation (BPAGAHAE)

Keywords

• Urban regeneration services
• Cultural park management
• Community hub coworking
• Micro-architecture competitions
• Artistic residency programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Mazara del Vallo

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Workshop and Festival Fees: Revenue generated from workshop participation fees (Workshop Pack), summer school registrations, and festival attendance. The organization charges participants for access to educational programming during their annual festival and competitions.
2. Hospitality and Coworking Services: Casa Periferica generates revenue through coworking desk rentals, hostel/foresteria accommodations (9 beds), event venue rental, and private meeting bookings. Services offered at subsidized rates for organizations with social missions.
3. Public Grants and Competition Prizes: Significant funding from winning competitive grants including: Boom-Polmoni Urbani (120,000 euro over 3 tranches), Creative Living Lab MiBACT (35,000 euro), and Culturability 4th edition for Evocava museum project. Also receives support through ERASMUS+ programs.
4. Professional Services and Consulting: Since 2020, Periferica operates a professional studio providing urban regeneration and social innovation services to public and private sector clients, offering strategic consulting, design services, and cultural project management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Periferica is a cultural and urban regeneration organization based in Mazara del Vallo, Sicily. It transforms abandoned urban spaces (a 3,000+ sqm former tuff quarry and 1980s kindergarten) into a cultural park and community hub, delivering an annual international festival and summer school of urban regeneration, a coworking space, a foresteria/guesthouse, the Evocava cave museum, the 10m² micro-architecture competition, the Ricreazioni artistic residency program, and the Aula Periferica educational tutoring service. It also operates a professional studio providing urban regeneration and social innovation consulting to public and private clients.

Product overview

Periferica is a cultural regeneration organization based in Mazara del Vallo, Sicily, founded in 2013. It operates a portfolio of interconnected cultural, educational, and community services centered on a regenerated disused tuff quarry and former kindergarten site. The core offerings include: the annual Periferica Festival (international summer school of urban regeneration), Casa Periferica (cultural park and community hub with coworking, foresteria/guesthouse, and event spaces), Evocava (evocative museum of local cave systems), 10m² micro-architecture competition, Ricreazioni artist residency program, Aula Periferica (educational support service), coworking facilities, and the volunteer program. These services collectively aim to regenerate peripheral urban areas through participatory, multidisciplinary approaches involving art, architecture, design, and social innovation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Casa Periferica: Cultural park and community hub spanning over 5,000 square meters, featuring coworking, hospitality, and cultural services in a regenerated tuff quarry.
• Evocava
• Aula Periferica
• Periferica Coworking
• RICREAZIONI
• 10m²
• Ricreazioni - Pause Rigenerative

Products and services

• Periferica Festival (Annual International Summer School) Annual international summer school and festival of urban regeneration held over 10 days in Mazara del Vallo, Sicily, delivering workshops and labs in architecture, design, and communication for selected university students, young professionals, artists, and creatives from around the world. Participants are selected via open calls and purchase a Workshop Pack to attend.
• Casa Periferica (Cultural Park & Community Hub) A regenerated cultural park and community hub spanning over 5,000 sqm at via dell'acquedotto 15, Mazara del Vallo, converted from a disused tuff quarry and former kindergarten. Offers coworking, foresteria/guesthouse accommodation (9 beds), social kitchen, event venues, and the Evocava museum, with subsidized tariffs for organizations with social missions.
• Evocava – Museo Evocativo delle Cave Evocative museum dedicated to the cave system of Mazara del Vallo, co-created with the local community of the Macello district, featuring guided tours through open-pit and underground cave galleries. Aimed at cultural tourists, heritage visitors, and local residents.
• Coworking Space 150 sqm coworking space within Casa Periferica featuring 8 workstations, WiFi, meeting room, relax area, kitchen, and parking. First week offered free with complimentary coffee; available at subsidized rates for local organizations with social missions. Targets local professionals, entrepreneurs, and small businesses in Mazara del Vallo.
• Aula Periferica (Educational Support Service) Educational support service providing private lessons, homework help, thesis development, and tutoring with qualified teachers for elementary, middle, and high school students in Mazara del Vallo. Aimed at combating educational poverty in Trapani province.
• 10m² Micro-Architecture Competition Annual micro-architecture competition challenging university students and young professionals across Europe to design temporary, innovative installations for the Periferica site, realized on-site during the annual festival.
• Ricreazioni Artistic Residency Program Artistic mobility and residency program hosting international artists for creative experimentation and urban regeneration projects, including the Pause Rigenerative sub-program focused on multidisciplinary inclusive regeneration activities.
• Periferica Professional Studio (Urban Regeneration Consulting) Professional services studio offering strategic consulting, design services, and cultural project management for public and private sector clients undertaking urban regeneration, social innovation, and community development projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 students and dozens of professionals engaged since 2013
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LinveacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2018Linvea, Italian paint industry leader, partnered for the reactivation of Casa Periferica's exterior space. Collaboration started June 5, 2018 to promote interventions protecting external surfaces and hosting new artistic interventions with high-end Linvea products.
• MiBACT (Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali e del Turismo)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinistry providing grants through Creative Living Lab (35,000 euro) and Culturability programs. Periferica presents projects at ministry headquarters and participates in national seminars on cultural value in peripheries.
• Corso LegnamiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWood materials supplier supporting Periferica's construction and auto-costruzione projects during festivals and workshops. Partner for Creative Living Lab activities.
• Leroy MerlinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIY retailer providing support for Creative Living Lab regeneration activities at Casa Periferica.
• FARM Cultural ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of Boom-Polmoni Urbani competition with M5S Sicily parliamentarians. FARM Cultural Park in Favara is a key reference point for Periferica's cultural district model.
• Comune di Mazara del VallocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner for urban regeneration projects, Ground Zero events, and URBANA open data mapping project. Mayor Salvatore Quinci involved in civic initiatives.
• Viavai ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStreet art festival curatorial partner for Transumare project within Ricreazioni artistic mobility program, involving artists Tellas, Andreco, and Ciredz.
• Università di PalermominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for Evocava project, collaborating on research and valorization of Mazara's cave heritage system.
• Suq MagazineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for Evocava presentation of 'The Real Utopia' volume, with Francesco Blancato, Alessandra Riganò, Giuseppe Ippolito, Claudio Patanè.
• Print&GominorOthersPrint support for Evocava museum activities and event materials.
• Cantine FinaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWine producer providing tasting services for Evocava events and museum inauguration activities.
• Slow FoodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for 10mq food point competition and food-related programming, promoting Sicilian agro-food heritage.
• Fondazione di Comunità di Agrigento e TrapaniminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity foundation planting 30 trees in Periferica's park in March 2020, supported by Fondazione CON IL SUD.
• ADI SiciliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian Designers Association regional branch, with President Gianni Di Matteo serving as Periferica mentor. Co-sponsored festival workshops.
• Maurizio Carta (UNIPA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUrban planning professor at University of Palermo providing scientific supervision for Periferica's regeneration methodology.
• ImpactHUB SiracusaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as organizational partner in Periferica's network of collaborators.
• Pro Loco Mazara del VallominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal tourism organization collaborating on Le Vie dei Tesori initiative with architect Liliana Ingenito providing support.
• Lisca BiancaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation receiving ERASMUS+ funding for Moving Towards Inclusion project, with Periferica participating in mobility activities.
• Urban Center di BolognaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerElisabetta Caruso from Urban Center di Bologna (Fondazione Innovazione Urbana) involved in Creative Living Lab Co-Design team.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Festarch: Italian architecture and design festival that combines lectures, workshops, and international programs. Comparable in festival format, architecture/urban regeneration thematic focus, and audience overlap with Periferica's summer school.
• FARM Cultural Park: Cultural park and regeneration hub in Favara, Sicily, founded by Andrea Bartoli — Periferica's mentor and co-organizer of the Boom-Polmoni Urbani competition. Operates the same abandoned-heritage-into-arts-hub model in a southern Italian periphery, making it the closest direct comparable.
• PAV - Parco Arte Vivente: Living art park in Turin combining contemporary art, urban regeneration themes, and community programming. Comparable as a regenerated-space cultural park with residencies, exhibitions, and educational programming.

Emerging players

• Open House Worldwide: Global network of architecture open-house events opening heritage and design spaces to the public. Comparable to Periferica's Le Vie dei Tesori heritage tourism work and community engagement around built heritage.
• Studio Farris: Studio that works at the intersection of architecture, urban regeneration, and cultural projects (including southern Italy). Comparable as a multidisciplinary practice combining urban design, cultural programming, and place-making.

Broad incumbents

• FAI - Fondo Ambiente Italiano: Italy's largest heritage trust, operating heritage sites and cultural tourism experiences. Comparable on the heritage preservation and public-access side of Periferica's Evocava museum and cave tourism work.
• Impact Hub Siracusa: Regional impact hub providing coworking, innovation programming, and a network across Italy. Already a Periferica partner; comparable as a southern Italian impact/coworking operator with affiliated programming and a broader institution behind it.

Others

• Fondazione Fitzcarraldo: Turin-based cultural policy and management research/consulting foundation. Comparable as a high-credibility Italian organization working at the intersection of cultural programming, research, and consulting for public-sector clients.

Regional players

• Recology San Francisco: Artist-in-residence program hosted at a waste-management facility. Comparable as a model of converting a non-cultural industrial site into a creative production space with residencies and community engagement, even though geographically distant.
• Fondazione La Zisa: Palermo-based cultural center that runs residencies, exhibitions, and community programs out of a regenerated historic site. Comparable in terms of Sicily-based cultural regeneration and multi-program community hub operations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PerifericaFestival
• Instagraminstagram.com/periferica_project
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/periferica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Periferica