Vanished landscapes. New scenarios for dwelling on earth with the awareness of the past for a sustainable future. The ancient Vallis regia, now Lake Barrea

This contribution will document the transformations that have taken place in a territory which, after man’s intervention, has been flooded with water, changing its configuration from a valley to a lake. The objective is to disseminate and defend the history of a territory as a common asset and resource for sustainable development. The case in question is the ancient Vallis regia in the province of L’Aquila, close to the town of Barrea. In 1951, when a dam was built across the River Sangro, the valley was flooded with the river’s waters, turning it into an artificial basin used as both a reservoir and to produce electricity. There are many, incisive interventions of this kind on our planet; they have not only redesigned a territory, but also changed the way indigenous populations dwell on earth. The aim of the contribution is to find evidence of this vanished landscape and document how such a radical environmental transformation has not only influenced the life of the inhabitants, their culture, and traditions, but also created new scenarios. In fact, we believe that understanding the history of a territory is the key tool we need to safeguard it; a precious resource to be transmitted to future generations in order to achieve economic, environmental and above all cultural sustainability.