Purpose: The Capuchos Convent of Alferrara has remained in ruins for over two centuries. Rather than physically restore it to an image of the past, this paper aims to investigate to what extent its ongoing ruination could offer a viable path for shaping its future.

Design/methodology/approach: A design-research methodology is used to frame this question within an architectural design course. The course is informed by heritage and conservation theories to arrive at five non-invasive intervention paths.

Findings: The five interventions suggest that active elements like water and plants can reframe static perceptions of heritage as fixed cultural assets. They can catalyze the site as a locus of cultural and ecological practices rooted in the site’s intangible values, particularly its ascetic tradition.

Originality/value: The research is pivotal by exploring future revitalization directions for the convent in line with its past ethos. It offers alternative paths to commercialization and responds to climate threats like drought that will likely plague the region in coming years. More broadly, the paper contributes to broader discussions in contemporary heritage and conservation practices as well as architectural pedagogy in the era of the Anthropocene.