Joint research project

Multidisciplinary Technologies for the Conservation and Valorisation of Mediterranean Sites and Cultural Landscapes: Drinos River Valley (AL) and Amalfi Mills Valley (IT)

Project leaders
Elena Gigliarelli, Joli Mitrojorgjioli
Agreement
ALBANIA - MoES - Ministry of Education and Sport of the Republic of Albania
Call
CNR/MOES biennio 2018-2019 2018-2019
Department
Social sciences and humanities, cultural heritage
Thematic area
Social sciences and humanities, cultural heritage
Status of the project
New

Research proposal

1.Background: Most of the European Mediterranean regions have developed over the millennia a rich heritage of integrated cultural territories, resulting from a fruitful combination of natural landscapes and human ingeniousness that expresses a long and intimate relationship between peoples and their natural environment. Many of these territories have come with full rights in the concept of "cultural landscape", adopted in 1992 by the UNESCO World Heritage Center to identify geographic areas or distinct properties that in a peculiar way "represent the combined work of nature and man". But most of the other UNESCO sites in the Mediterranean Basin (historical cities, fortifications, monasteries, coastal villages, etc.) are highly integrated with the landscape around and with its many archaeological and material testimonies stratified over the centuries. To such a degree that this institutional and cultural complexity as well as new contemporary problems do not always allow "to satisfy the conditions of integrity and / or authenticity", with a "protection and management" system capable of safeguarding it, as required by the UNESCO. Faced with environmental challenges such as climate change, dense or scattered urbanization, or intense tourism pressure, these landscapes and cultural sites pose new challenges for the conservation, management and dissemination of tangible and intangible values that represent. It is therefore necessary to launch efforts to identify new knowledge and design tools for the sites, where concepts and proposals can be provided with innovative experimentally validated best practices. In this framework, methods for studying the process of historical landscapes making and assessing the relationships between the various pre-existing ones, as well as tools to support conservation and fruition, are crucial to providing contextualized strategies for managing, disseminating and enhancing Mediterranean cultural landscapes. This is why the project intends to apply a multidisciplinary approach with a broad spectrum of cultural heritage specialists. The sharing of both scientific and humanistic skills will be promoted and the exchange of experiences developed in Albania and Italy related to two cultural sites: Drinos River Valley (AL) and the Amalfi mill Valley (IT).

2. Sites: The Drinos river valley in Southern Albania is a region where an exceptional cultural heritage is perfectly combined with the naturalistic splendor, bearing witness to the coexistence of various cultural identities and religious communities down the centuries. A valley inhabited since ancient times with around 15 ancient settlements, medieval cities and small traditional villages along it. The most important city is the UNESCO site of Gjirokastra and some of the archaeological parks around, but many hidden cultural treasures are to be explored in the slopes of the mountains along the valley. Many Christian monasteries are located in the area since byzantine times, in the small villages in the surroundings of Gjirokastra.
The Amalfi Mills Valley in South Italy is part of the Unesco site "Amalfi Coast". It has been included among the "Cultural Landscapes" as "Heritage of Humanity" because it represents "an outstanding example of a Mediterranean landscape with exceptional cultural and natural values resulting from its difficult topography and historical process compatible adaptation made by the community, a brilliant example of resource-intensive use". In the spectacular setting of the valley of the Canneto River, situated between the historic centers of Scala and Amalfi, there is an ingenious system of water mills, canals, tanks and wells that fueled numerous paper processing factories.
3. Partners: The Institute of Cultural Monuments (ICM) of the Ministry of Culture is the main responsible institute for the protection, restoration and valorization of cultural heritage within the Albanian territory, by carrying out the research work, conservation, restoration and the management of the monuments and sites. The Institute for Technologies Applied to Cultural Heritage (ITABC) of the National Council of Research (CNR) of Italy has an outstanding experience in architecture, conservation, restoration, archaeology, applied geophysics and virtual reconstruction of cultural heritage sites and landscapes. The bilateral between ITABC and ICM aim to begin a joint cooperation among parties working together to study and promote the territory as a combination of the cultural, historical and naturalistic aspects.
4.The Project
The project aims to improve the conservation and management of these areas and their associated values in a sustainable way, based on a scientific and historic knowledge, protection, conservation and fruition in order to promote an integrated approach of research, combined methodologies and new technologies applied to heritage. The purpose is to make more immersive the idea of rediscovery of cultural heritage in a multidisciplinary way, in order to underline and valorise the positive coexistence of different cultural identities. The cultural assets are studied in their natural and historical context with an integrated approach such as historical, architectonic, archaeological, geomorphologic and anthropological by combining methodologies of knowledge, diagnostics, conservation and valorization of built heritage with a higher capacity of applying scientific research and new technologies. The strategic scenario for fostering the development of the territory involves the proposition of an Ecomuseum, a museum widespread on the territory that aims to document, preserve and enhance the many natural sites and the same numerous manifestations of material and immaterial culture, but also practices of life and work, traditional knowledge, local productions, which in the two studied cases are a real territorial system.

Research goals

General objectives include:
oConduct a specific historical and archaeological study in the two Mediterranean cultural landscapes and compare study of the sampling areas to reveal their communes and differences. New methodologies for cultural landscapes will be fed by an interdisciplinary research team, combining the principles of new technologies such as Heritage Building Information Modelling, Remote Sensing, applied geophysics, archaeometry, archaeology, virtual restitution of cultural sites and landscapes.
oDefine a Heritage-led Regeneration Strategy for the preservation of cultural sites and regeneration of historical settlements and towns in Albania and in Italy, as a driver for sustainable growth of Mediterranean Cultural Landscapes. A strategy able to: maintain land contexts, historic topography and landmarks in historic areas; preserve physical fabrics; addresses issues related to the recovery, accessibility and new use of some ancient structures embedded in the extraordinary landscape of the two valleys
Specific objectives:
oAnalysis, restoration and valorization of the architectural heritage with a special focus in the revival of traditional building systems
oPlanning of Ecomuseums and cultural-natural itineraries connecting the UNESCO site with the archaeological areas and the monuments where cultural aspects are combined with the anthropological ones.
oDisclosure of results and transfer of good practices Promote training activities, seminars and conferences.

Last update: 29/03/2024