Law, administration and management of Cultural Heritage

ALESSANDRA TEN

The student will acquire the skills essential for the reading of historical landscapes
and will be able to handle the tools useful for the reconstruction of multi-layered
urban and territorial contexts. The knowledge developed in the field of historical
cartography and ancient topography will also equip the student with the skills
necessary for the critical analysis of ancient contexts and their processes

The course aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of landscape analysis, with particular attention to its diachronic evolution and the dynamic processes that have shaped its current form. Students will be introduced to key research methodologies and analytical approaches relevant to the study of landscape contexts. The course will also cover the use of tools and sources essential for the accurate interpretation of environmental settings, as well as the reading of historical traces and stratifications that underpin present-day landscape conditions.

This course explores the historical evolution of the concept of landscape and its progressive definition across various disciplinary fields—from its earliest origins to its formal establishment within legal and institutional frameworks. Students will be introduced to the principal sources used in landscape analysis, including material, iconographic, literary, archival, and toponymic evidence. Emphasis will be placed on interpreting complex, stratified landscapes—especially in urban and suburban environments—with attention to both morphological characteristics and patterns of historical development. Special focus will be given to the natural constraints and pre-existing conditions that have shaped the transformation of landscapes over time. Selected case studies will be examined diachronically to reconstruct the historical layering of specific sites.

C. Tosco, Il paesaggio come Storia, Bologna 2017
Chapters selected by L. Quilici, S. Quilici Gigli, Introduzione alla topografia antica, Bologna 2004
The content of the lectures, in the form of notes and handouts provided by the teacher, is an integral part of the bibliography.

For optional further reading, the following texts are recommended:
E. Farinetti, I Paesaggi in Archeologia: Analisi e Interpretazione, Roma 2012.
Paolo D'Angelo, Il Paesaggio. teorie, Storie e luoghi, Laterza 2021.

The course topics will be addressed through presentations illustrating the case studies with the aid of images and cartographic resources. The projected materials will also serve as a basis for practical exercises in reading and interpreting landscape contexts, to be carried out during interactive sessions. To foster a critical understanding of the course content, field visits to selected sites discussed during the lectures will also be included.