L'architettura tradizionale nel Molise. Le risorse naturali

The Molise region has a variety of geological features and natural sources, that are mirrored by constructive production, through the ma- terials used. In order to outline an overall picture of the natural resources used in ‘traditional’ buildings, comparisons and verifications of archive documents were carried out, together with direct observation of structures and of the territory. Moreover, the analysis of the sites of extraction and the working process of materials help to reconstruct the production process, from the natural resources to the architecture. With reference to this last aspect, all the stages - from the building materials, the quarries and the extraction sites and their location on the territory, to the modes of transport, manufacturing sites and building sites – were examined. The role of masons and workers involved in these constructive processes and in the transmission of knowledge should be highlighted. The aim of this article is to frame a general picture of the architecture in the Molise region, as it can be recognised in the present day. Since it was possible to observe a persisting re-elaboration and re-proposition of the traditional constructive techniques through the first investi- gations, the analyses are not limited to a specific chronologic context. Hence, the continuous cross-references from the ancient Samnites to 19th-century constructions and reconstructions, show that the materials, quarries and transport routes have remained almost unchanged, and have continued to influence production cycles in an almost constant manner through Centuries.