tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23700266.post-5979655715489252002008-01-15T10:02:00.000+08:002008-01-15T10:07:27.578+08:00<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Mariolina Besio</span><br />Dipartimento di Progettazione e Costruzione dell'Architettura<br />Università di Genova, Italy<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_-fGx2wDrdVc/R4wVGQuM0aI/AAAAAAAACEg/240ZOwDhCxc/s1600-h/cinqueterre.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_-fGx2wDrdVc/R4wVGQuM0aI/AAAAAAAACEg/240ZOwDhCxc/s400/cinqueterre.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155518870744519074" border="0" /></a>The Cinque Terre is an impressive and unique landscape that covers about 4000 hectares near the Liguria region’s border with Tuscany in the north western coast of Italy. It has a population of about 5000 people and its rural landscape is characterized by steep hillsides that drop down to the sea. These are marked by a geometry of terraces held up by dry-stone walls and covered with vines. The landscape has been recognized by UNESCO in 1997 as a world heritage site and as a cultural landscape. It was produced by collective creativity that was able to draw opportunities for a peculiar agriculture from the difficulties of the natural environment.<br /><br />It is unfortunate that most of the territory, at present, has undergone “artificialization” which imposed a new “human nature” on the first “natural nature”. The natural make-up of land and draining were transformed by the system of terraces. In the terraced areas spontaneous vegetation was replaced by agriculture. A generalised tendency to abandon agricultural practices has long been evident: in the heyday of agriculture. If man’s presence declines, the survival of landscape is at risk and its stability can degenerate until it collapses.<br /><br />Landscape management tools are introduced to help preserve and restore the terraces. The landscape model aims to protect the landscape and to develop the local socio-economic conditions of the community. It joins local and national plans, its instruments and policies.<br /><br />These planning tools operate to:<br />■ conserve the terraced landscape built structures<br />■ re-qualify after degradation<br />■ accessibility and transportation<br /><br />The instruments of socio-economic development operate to support:<br />■ structures and services for local communities<br />■ traditional farming and wine production<br />■ tourist supply.ivanhenaresnoreply@blogger.com