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The historical rural landscapes. Landscapes created by agricultural, forestry and pastoral activities throughout history

National Catalog of Historical Rural Landscapes

With the research project promoted by the Ministry for Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies on the "National Catalog of Historical Rural Landscapes" (Ed.Laterza, 2010) 14 Italian universities and some international research bodies identified 123 distributed landscapes in all Italian regions, collected in descriptive cards that take into consideration their historical value, the typical products and the critical issues that threaten their integrity.

The project has identified 6 landscapes (and two estates) in Piedmont and constitutes an important reference for the development of the agricultural landscape conservation policy:

  • Raschera mountain pastures
  • Plateau of Vauda
  • Baraggia Vercelli and Biella
  • Bosco delle Sorti della Partecipanza di Trino
  • Arborated pastures of Roccaverano
  • Historical polycultures of the Uzzone Valley.
  • Cascina San Michele, in the municipality of Bosco Marengo (estate)
  • Vigna Galarei (estate)

National Register of rural landscapes of historical interest, agricultural practices and traditional knowledge

Subsequently with Decree n. 17070 of November 19, 2012, the Italian State established the National Observatory of Rural Landscape, Agricultural Practices and Traditional Knowledge (ONPR) and at the same time envisaged, in article 4, the establishment of the "National Register of rural landscapes of historical interest , agricultural practices and traditional knowledge".

The national register of the historical rural landscape focuses on the landscapes created by agricultural, forestry and pastoral activities over the course of history, that is, which "have been present in a given territory for a long time, even many centuries, and which are stabilized, or evolve a lot slowly".

The Observatory collects the applications from the interested bodies throughout the national territory, verifies that they meet certain eligibility requirements and approves them at the permanent State-Regions Conference. With a decree signed by the Minister for agricultural, food and forestry policies, containing the mention that explains the reasons for recognition, rural landscapes are entered in the Register.

The registration of a territory in the National Register offers not only the possibility of being chosen for a subsequent UNESCO candidacy, as well as at GIAHS (Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems for FAO), but also of activating a series of tools to make the conservation of the traditional landscape a competitive factor in favor of agricultural and tourism businesses.

Currently, three landscapes in Piedmont are facing the long and complex process for recognition: the terraced vineyard landscapes on the slopes of Mombarone (Carema and Settimo Vittone), the Ciabot of Alta Langa and the Raschera pastures in the municipality of Frabosa Soprana.

The enhancement of the landscape, for the purposes of the protection and promotion of the territory, through the preparation of landscape maps

Four regional territories, which had been identified in the National Catalog, have experimented on behalf of ISMEA-Rete Rurale Nazionale, technical body of the National Observatory, a path to enhance their landscape, for the purpose of protecting and promoting the territory, through the editorial staff of maps shared via the web through a specific Google tool, Google My Maps.

It is about:

The maps can be viewed together with eighty other national maps on the site:
https://www.reterurale.it/mappepaesaggio

To view them correctly from your mobile, it is advisable to download the app "My Maps".

This tool, in addition to making the characteristics of the landscapes accessible to visitors on wide-ranging and easy-to-access communication channels, also allows the activation of territorial cooperation paths to implement the agricultural multifunctionality that is strategic for the modern development of an effective and widespread protection.

In this way, we intend to make the tourist / visitor / inhabitant aware that the elements of the agricultural crops presented on the map perform specific functions attributable to the preservation of the landscape (first of all contrasting hydrogeological instability and the conservation of biodiversity), to a historical link about agricultural practices (social function of rural settlements) and can affect, depending on the type of plant and the chosen technique, in safeguarding the environment.