A holistic approach to the built heritage in the Mediterranean internal areas: the case study of Montalbano Elicona (ME)

Abstract

The paper intends to illustrate some research conducted in the framework of a memorandum of understanding signed in 2019 between the Department of Architecture of the University of Palermo and Montalbano Elicona, an old village of about 2100 inhabitants that rises 900 meters above sea level, in the northern part of the province of Messina. Due to the central position in the Mediterranean, since very remote times Sicily has played a role of crossroads for populations of different cultures. For this reason, Montalbano Elicona can be considered a case study of general concern to the built heritage of the Mediterranean area, in which some recurrent specific elements occur. The paper deals with the issue of risk regarding the specific features of the Mediterranean built heritage, retracing the main typologies and mentioning its developments, from the 80s of the last century to the contemporary debate, which takes into account climate changes, war conflicts and terrorism. In this framework, the abandonment will be traced back to a contextual anthropic risk, considered as the opposite of intense and poorly managed utilizations and the use will be highlighted as an essential aspect in the processes of conservation and enhancement of the architectural heritage. In the case of internal areas, marginalized by the most recent socio-economic factors and subject to important depopulation phenomena, the theme of use takes on more critical features and must be considered within a holistic and multi-scalar approach, considering the potential of digitalisation. The paper will describe some enhancement strategies that can be considered indirect, as they do not physically act on the built heritage, but facilitate the contextual conditions. From a theoretical point of view, the concept of high quality Baukultur guides these strategies