- History, Archaeology, Medieval Studies, Landscape Archaeology, Archaeological Method & Theory, Archaeological GIS, and 27 moreAerial Archaeology, Archaeological Prospection, LiDAR, Medieval Archaeology, Manufacturing, Environmental Anthropology, Material Culture Studies, Church History, Geography, Geology, Archaeology of Buildings, Pastoral landscapes (Archaeology), Remote sensing and GIS applications in Landscape Research, Early Medieval Archaeology, Environmental Archaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), Castles, Arms and Armour, Domus Fortis, Medieval rural settlement, Ecology, Technology, Cultural Studies, Art History, Environmental Sustainability, Research Methodology, and Rural Historyedit
Il progetto APSAT (‘Ambiente e Paesaggi dei Siti d’Altura Trentini’), ha concentrato le proprie attenzioni sullo studio delle interazioni tra paesaggi antropici e ambiente naturale, cercando di comprendere come natura e cultura si siano... more
Il progetto APSAT (‘Ambiente e Paesaggi dei Siti d’Altura Trentini’), ha concentrato le proprie attenzioni sullo studio delle interazioni tra paesaggi antropici e ambiente naturale, cercando di comprendere come natura e cultura si siano intrecciate nel corso del tempo, dando così origine all'attuale assetto del territorio. Questa seconda monografia del progetto si innesta sulle tematiche del primo volume (‘Teoria e metodi della ricerca sui paesaggi d'altura’), proponendo una serie di saggi incentrati sull'analisi dei paesaggi (agrari, silvo-pastorali, minerari, etc.), sugli aspetti metodologici per lo studio delle aree d'altura e sulle modalità di utilizzo del territorio a partire dalle prime tracce di presenza umana in Trentino fino all'età contemporanea. Completano il volume alcuni casi di studio su settori specifici del territorio trentino, elaborati da giovani ricercatori coinvolti nel progetto.
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Literary routes inspired by landscapes can become key elements for a self-sustainable development, they illuminating the collective memory, encouraging grassroots processes of self-organisation, and highlighting the relationships between... more
Literary routes inspired by landscapes can become key elements for a self-sustainable development, they illuminating the collective memory, encouraging grassroots processes of self-organisation, and highlighting the relationships between the growth of place consciousness and the enhancement of local patrimonial resources. A significant experience is “Sentiero Silone”, an excursionist itinerary created in the Sirente-Velino Park in 2015, which links the places described by Ignazio Silone and identified through oral interviews with local communities. Silone’s writings give the elements of landscape with symbolic connotations and social meanings, allowing for a dynamic approach to the economic and social-cultural reality of the past; they integrate written sources, archaeological evidences and environmental indicators outlining the various landscapes in their historical depth. and allowing visitors to build a tangible sensorial experience in situ following the author’s life and his nov...
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The purpose of this study is to analyse how research projects involving communities and stakeholders can achieve a deeper understanding of natural and cultural landscapes and provide key elements for self-sustainable territorial... more
The purpose of this study is to analyse how research projects involving communities and stakeholders can achieve a deeper understanding of natural and cultural landscapes and provide key elements for self-sustainable territorial development. These strategies find a fertile field for action in the fragile areas, which require restoration works in order to be reconverted into resources, within the framework of a global territorial development plan. This paper focuses on some inner Abruzzo areas that are disadvantaged by marginalization and depopulation. The strong naturalistic imprint of the region has led to the establishment of many parks and ecomuseums; some of them are included within national and European networks and act in partnership with institutions and foundations on a regular basis. This entrepreneurship does not exclude, but rather encourages the contribution of local communities. Inhabitants and other stakeholders cooperate with institutions and play a proactive role in the enhancement of the territory and in the production of social wealth.
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Many coastal towers were built in second half of the 16th century: they were in line with the whole defensive system of the Kingdom of Naples. A detailed picture of the situation can be reconstructed through Carlo Gambacorta’s report,... more
Many coastal towers were built in second half of the 16th century: they were in line with the whole defensive system of the Kingdom of Naples. A detailed picture of the situation can be reconstructed through Carlo Gambacorta’s report, dated back to 1598. Along the Abruzzo coastline, the report describes 15 towers, which were used for surveillance, control, communication, maritime trade. Some of them are completely disappeared, others are ruined, others again are well preserved, restored and converted into different uses. Cerrano Tower is now the centre of a Marine Protected Area, which covers 37 square kilometers and included the coastal zone, the underwater ancient site of a port and a sea section which is unique for its biodiversity in the middle Adriatic Sea. The management board improves research projects and develops models of sustainable tourism. The viceroyal tower and the remains of the port of Hatria are key-elements of the natural reserve, because they provide a historical reconstruction and a global understanding of the area. The port, dated back to Roman times, was repeatedly restored until its decline at the beginning of 1500. It is significant that Cerrano Tower was erected near this archaeological site to watch against pirates' attacks from any side of the Mediterranean Sea. In this paper the author focuses on the experience of Cerrano Tower, which lives a new life as part of an integrated territorial system including an architectural, cultural and environmental heritage of high value.
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Nelle fasce montane dell’Abruzzo l’allevamento ha rappresentato per secoli l’attività economica principale. Un insieme di norme e consuetudini regolamentava l’accesso alle risorse produttive, in primo luogo boschi, pascoli, prati da... more
Nelle fasce montane dell’Abruzzo l’allevamento ha rappresentato per secoli l’attività economica principale. Un insieme di norme e consuetudini regolamentava l’accesso alle risorse produttive, in primo luogo boschi, pascoli, prati da sfalcio, campi aperti e “difese”, ossia pascoli arborati demaniali o feudali ad uso collettivo. La presente ricerca intende delineare la gestione e l’organizzazione topografica delle terre a regime collettivo in alcune località della Majella meridionale e ricostruirne le principali trasformazioni nella lunga durata, attraverso l’analisi regressiva e la comparazione delle fonti. Significativo è anche il confronto con altri contesti europei, in particolare con le regioni occidentali e meridionali della Spagna (Andalusia, Estremadura), dove a partire dal X secolo sono attestate le dehesas, simili per caratteri fisionomici e funzionali ai pascoli arborati dell’Appennino centro-meridionale. Il presente studio si colloca nell’alveo di un rinnovato interesse per le forme di uso collettivo e multifunzionale degli spazi montani. Iniziative di valorizzazione e di parziale ripristino della fruizione comunitaria garantiscono il mantenimento di un paesaggio agropastorale di straordinaria bellezza, che costituisce un forte richiamo per un turismo di qualità e una riserva ecologica preziosa per la biodiversità floristica e faunistica.
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I percorsi letterari ispirati ai paesaggi possono diventare elementi chiave per uno sviluppo autosostenibile, illuminando la memoria collettiva, sollecitando processi di auto-organizzazione dal basso e mettendo a fuoco le relazioni fra... more
I percorsi letterari ispirati ai paesaggi possono diventare elementi chiave per uno sviluppo autosostenibile, illuminando la memoria collettiva, sollecitando processi di auto-organizzazione dal basso e mettendo a fuoco le relazioni fra crescita della coscienza di luogo e valorizzazione delle risorse patrimoniali locali. Un’esperienza significativa è il Sentiero Silone, percorso escursionistico inaugurato nel 2015 nel Parco Sirente-Velino che unisce i luoghi descritti da Ignazio Silone e identificati sul territorio tramite interviste alle comunità locali. Nel Parco turismo sostenibile e lettura olistica del territorio si esplicano in vari percorsi tematici fruibili l’uno in relazione all’altro, in modo da offrire una visione complessiva di come l’ambiente possa trasformarsi in territorio. La rappresentazione letteraria è una delle linee guida per rileggere e interpretare i paesaggi, al fine di stabilire relazioni tra passato e presente e di prospettare futuri scenari che integrino ricerca, innovazione, sostenibilità.
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An historic landscape is a systemic construction in progress, created by various elements such as infrastructures (roads, fluvial network), settlements, fortifications, production sites, ideological and cultural places. In order to... more
An historic landscape is a systemic construction in progress, created by various elements such as infrastructures (roads, fluvial network), settlements, fortifications, production sites, ideological and cultural places. In order to investigate it, we must adopt a diachronic, complex and relational approach. Written sources, archaeological evidences and environmental indicators contribute towards outlining the various landscapes in their qualifying aspects and in their historical depth. In the last ten years we have efficiently carried out some research projects applying innovative methodologies and techniques, like the airborne laser scanning (LiDAR). GIS and WebGIS platforms allow for the control of the diachronic and synchronic relations between the different objects and favour a continuous increase in knowledge; they also allow for a multiple-perspective analysis and for a dynamic approach to the economic and social-cultural reality of the past. This holistic approach to the territory also promotes the variety of educational offers and the high-quality of geo-touristic proposals through thematic itineraries and summer schools. Sustainability and holistic reading are expressed in projects aimed at recovering the autochthonous genetic agricultural resources, at restoring disused structures, at enhancing traditional know-hows and ancient crafts. These initiatives involve local communities and encourage them to discover their own heritage and to play a crucial role in self-sustainable development.
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The Marsica territory is at the centre of Ignazio Silone's writings. In line with his own ideology, Silone covers the elements of the landscapes he describes with symbolic connotations and social meanings: the mountain overtaken by a... more
The Marsica territory is at the centre of Ignazio Silone's writings. In line with his own ideology, Silone covers the elements of the landscapes he describes with symbolic connotations and social meanings: the mountain overtaken by a subsistence agriculture, the plain created by draining the Fucino Lake in the last decades of the nineteenth century and converted to a thriving agricultural activity, the villages grown up along the mountains’ edge and on the perimeter of the former lake, and the culturally distant towns. His writings can become key elements for a sustainable development of tourism: in 2015 an excursionist itinerary, called Sentiero Silone, was opened to link the places described by the writer and identified through oral interviews with local communities and field surveys. The purpose of my research is to analyze Silone's “places" and their various identities: the literary representation will be the guideline to review and interpret the landscapes, applying a multidisciplinary approach in order to define the relationships between the past and the present and to propose future scenarios that integrate research, innovation and sustainability.
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Abruzzo is marked by a great geodiversity, a high percentage of mountain areas and a rich fauna and flora, features which led to the establishment of numerous natural parks and reserves throughout the region. Ecomuseums live in close... more
Abruzzo is marked by a great geodiversity, a high percentage of mountain areas and a rich fauna
and flora, features which led to the establishment of numerous natural parks and reserves throughout the
region. Ecomuseums live in close symbiosis with these areas, and ease the fruition of such complex institutions.
An example is the Majella National Park, which includes the Ecomuseum of the Western Majella and
the Ecomuseum at the Paleolithic site of the Giumentina Valley: the former a district with its own specificities,
the latter with a main thematic, ethno-graphic and historical-archaeological focus. This structure promotes a
global approach to territories, a variety of educational offers, opening a wide space to research, and a variety
of high-quality geo-tourism proposals. Sustainable tourism and a holistic reading of territories are expressed
in various thematic projects aimed at protecting biodiversity, restoring and enhancing disused buildings, defining
thematic itineraries suitable for a multi-level fruition. Integrated into national and European networks,
natural parks and ecomuseums work in partnership with institutions and foundations on a regular basis; this
entrepreneurship, though, often sided by self-organised bottom-up processes, does not exclude but rather encourages
participation in the local communities which, cooperating with institutions and regaining a place
consciousness, can play a proactive role in self-sustainable development.
and flora, features which led to the establishment of numerous natural parks and reserves throughout the
region. Ecomuseums live in close symbiosis with these areas, and ease the fruition of such complex institutions.
An example is the Majella National Park, which includes the Ecomuseum of the Western Majella and
the Ecomuseum at the Paleolithic site of the Giumentina Valley: the former a district with its own specificities,
the latter with a main thematic, ethno-graphic and historical-archaeological focus. This structure promotes a
global approach to territories, a variety of educational offers, opening a wide space to research, and a variety
of high-quality geo-tourism proposals. Sustainable tourism and a holistic reading of territories are expressed
in various thematic projects aimed at protecting biodiversity, restoring and enhancing disused buildings, defining
thematic itineraries suitable for a multi-level fruition. Integrated into national and European networks,
natural parks and ecomuseums work in partnership with institutions and foundations on a regular basis; this
entrepreneurship, though, often sided by self-organised bottom-up processes, does not exclude but rather encourages
participation in the local communities which, cooperating with institutions and regaining a place
consciousness, can play a proactive role in self-sustainable development.
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Many coastal towers were built during the 60s of the 16th century: they were in line with the whole defensive system of the Kingdom of Naples. A detailed picture of the situation can be reconstructed trough Carlo Gambacorta’s report,... more
Many coastal towers were built during the 60s of the 16th century: they were in line with the whole defensive system of the Kingdom of Naples. A detailed picture of the situation can be reconstructed trough Carlo Gambacorta’s report, dated back to 1598. Along the Abruzzo coastline, the towers performed several tasks, including surveillance, control, communication, maritime trade. The study of their architecture can be completed by the analysis of their establishment near ports, stock houses and warehouses. In this paper the author aims at highlighting the territorial relationships among a certain number of towers, as well as she proposes a comparison between the construction techniques employed in order to achieve an historical comparative and a contextual understating of those fortified systems.
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The paper presents the first results of a study initiated in the Majella massif which aims to identify fossil agro-forestry-pastoral landscapes and to clarify the relationship between grazing and the other forms of the local mountain... more
The paper presents the first results of a study initiated in the Majella massif which aims to identify fossil agro-forestry-pastoral landscapes and to clarify the relationship between grazing and the other forms of the local mountain economy (subsistence farming, exploitation of wooden resources, quarrying and stone working etc). Written sources, archaeological evidences and material indicators (the articulation of sheep tracks and minor paths, caves and rock shelters, agro-pastoral complexes, the writings of shepherds) contribute towards outlining the pastoral landscape in its qualifying aspects and in its historical depth, from prehistory to the modern age. In the Apennines Mountains pastoral farming is a complex production strategy which is expressed in two different ways: long range transhumance and vertical shifts (“monticazione”). Pastoralism has been often paired with seasonal agricultural practices implemented in small areas, selected for their soil fertility and sheltered position, or in open fields. These activities left traces that may be identified using remote sensing analysis and applying an ethnoarchaeological approach. This piece of research, in addition to addressing methodological issues, aims to define the concept of marginality generally attributed to the mountain. Environmental conditioning has determined forms of adaptation which have given rise to economic integrations that have proved to be positive for the development of the territory.
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Pastoralism and mining industry were important for the economic development of the Northern Majella. Pastoralism has been performed through two main strategies, transhumance and "monticazione", which still continues on a smaller scale... more
Pastoralism and mining industry were important for the economic development of the Northern Majella. Pastoralism has been performed through two main strategies, transhumance and "monticazione", which still continues on a smaller scale today. Asphalt has been mined from prehistory until recent periods. The extractive industries grew in the last two centuries; the mines were connected by means of movable railroad tracks and ore cars. These activities left traces that may be identified using remote sensing and applying a regressive analysis and an ethnoarchaeological approach. For years local inhabitants used asphalt to waterproof buildings; shepherds used it to light fire around the "stazzi" and to mark sheep. The progressive arrangement of data in a GIS allows for the control of the diachronic and synchronic relations between woodlands, mineral and pastoral landscapes.
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The present research project is concerned with the complex relation between the sites as archeological deposits and the whole territory as a result of a long evolution. It is based on an analytical framework that combines territorial data... more
The present research project is concerned with the complex relation between the sites as archeological deposits and the whole territory as a result of a long evolution. It is based on an analytical framework that combines territorial data from different sources (vectorial thematic maps, aerial photos, written documents) covering some sample areas of the Majella National Park. In the suggested approach both the archeological site and the territory as a whole have to be considered along a diachronic transformation process, through an interpretation of the stratified landscape, stressing the meaning relevance of the sites in their own spatial context and as elements of the landscape palimpsest: the economic and social-cultural characters which the ancient communities have imprinted in the landscape may be identified and reconstructed using methodologies, such remote sensing and GIS applications, and applying a regressive analysis. The author focuses on different case studies: the area surrounding the castle of Luco, the castle of Paterno.
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Application of Lidar derived Digital Terrain Models has demonstrated great potential in ancient landscape and site analysis. The paper addresses to present the range of LiDAR data visualisation tools available, suggesting an appropriate... more
Application of Lidar derived Digital Terrain Models has demonstrated great potential in ancient landscape and site analysis. The paper addresses to present the range of LiDAR data visualisation tools available, suggesting an appropriate procedure in DTM analysis able to optimise visualisation and interpretation of archaeological and geomorphological features. Applied to a set of different contexts (hilltop sites, slope areas, valley floors), LiDAR analysis allows a great enhancement of data collection. Thanks to the filtering of woodland canopies and orchards, recognition of elements referred to dwellings, ancient field systems, enclosures, paleochannels and debris flow is possible. Nevertheless, field survey represents a fundamental step of the workflow we used. Ground control has noted huge conditions of visibility and often LiDAR features detection has been problematic, because of reforestation processes and intensive agricultural exploitation. Surface visibility limits also the recognition of surface archaeological data (i.e. pottery, artefacts, walls, rock rectification) and generally no cultural find has been individuate if exposed sections are not present. In conclusion, stratigraphic excavations or simple shovel test pits are recommended to determine the archaeological potentiality and datchronology of the analyzed sites and landscapes.
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Post-classical Archaeology generally seems to be anchored to a site-centred approach. Yet the sites become meaningful only in their own spatial context and as elements of the landscape palimpsest: the economic and social-cultural... more
Post-classical Archaeology generally seems to be anchored to a site-centred approach. Yet the sites become meaningful only in their own spatial context and as elements of the landscape palimpsest: the economic and social-cultural characters which the ancient communities have imprinted in the landscape may be identified and reconstructed using innovative methodologies, such Air Borne Laser Scanning (LiDAR) and GIS applications, and applying a regressive analysis. In this article the author focuses on three different case studies, in the Giudicarie Esteriori Valley (western Trentino), and she tries to define the stratigraphic relations among the elements of the landscapes and to order them in the sequence of their occurrence. The arrangement of surveying grids and files, implemented in a WebGIS platform, allows the control of the diachronic and synchronic relations between the different objects and favours a continuous increase in knowledge; it also allows multiple-perspective analyses for a dynamic approach to the economic and social-cultural nature of the past.
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Innovative methodologies for reading the agrarian, mineral and woodland-pastoral landscape include techniques of landscape analysis, such as air borne laser scanning (liDAR) and the use of a WebGIS platform with multi-user access for... more
Innovative methodologies for reading the agrarian, mineral and woodland-pastoral landscape include techniques of landscape analysis, such as air borne laser scanning (liDAR) and the use of a WebGIS platform with multi-user access for mapping and compiling archaeological data. The application of such techniques in the Trentino region has facilitated multiple-perspective analyses and a dynamic approach to the economic and social-cultural nature of the past.
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The present research project is concerned with the complex relation between the sites as archeological deposits and the whole territory as a result of a long evolution. It is based on a analytical framework that combines territorial data... more
The present research project is concerned with the complex relation between the sites as archeological deposits and the whole territory as a result of a long evolution. It is based on a analytical framework that combines territorial data from different sources (vectorial thematic maps, aerial photos, written documents) covering some sample areas of the Majella National Park. In the suggested approach both the archeological site and the territory as a whole have to be considered along a diachronic transformation process, through an interpretation of the stratified landscape, stressing the meaning relevance of the sites in their own spatial context and as elements of the landscape palimpsest: the economic and social-cultural characters which the ancient communities have imprinted in the landscape may be identified and reconstructed using methodologies, such remote sensing and GIS applications, and applying a regressive analysis. The author focuses on different case studies: the area surrounding the medieval St. Thomas church, the castle of Luco, the castle of Paterno.
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Società dei Territorialisti. LA STORIA NELLE SCIENZE DEL TERRITORIO. Seminario sulla dimensione storica e la prospettiva territorialista. Firenze, Dipartimento di Architettura - ex Chiesa di S. Verdiana, 13 marzo 2015