Village of Monterano: identity features, and restoration

The contribution aims at examining the significant case of the ancient village of Monterano, located in the neighbourhood of Rome, in Canale Monterano municipality, perched on the plateau of a tufaceous hill, west of Bracciano Lake, uninhabited. The initial layout of Monterano is attributable to the Etrus- can era; between the Sixth and Seventh centuries, it acquired a relevance that ensured prosperity un- til the end of the Eighteenth century when, due to political events, it was abandoned: the population settled in the plain below, giving life to the urban centre called Canale Monterano. Its morphologi- cal characteristics and the state of abandonment were generating a sense of detachment of the popu- lation from the ancient village, until recently. A new awareness raised in the Seventies and Eighties of the Twentieth century, by studies and researches came to the recognition of the historical-architectural and naturalistic heritage, so that they were finally perceived as identity values by the community. At the same time, Monterano Regional Natural Reserve was established, to protect over a thousand hectares of the Canale Monterano area, including the ancient village. Moreover, starting from the early Nine- ties, significant reinforcement and restoration projects of the ruined structures have been carried out. In this frame, recent actions on today’s system have been undertaken, trying to escape the dualism of Mon- terano-Canale Monterano couple. Regarding this, the institutional initiatives contributed the projects drafting of the paths to reach and visit the naturalistic glimpses and ancient remains; the task involved researches and experimental works conducted by the Sapienza University of Rome and by the Universi- ty of Tuscia, by the Regional Natural Reserve, the Municipality of Canale Monterano, as well as by local associations and citizenship. The synergy pursued, looking at the confluence of the various disciplines, is contributing to define the action on heritage, considering that conservation and innovation are the founding terms of the safeguard-development issue. In this regard, Restoration discipline can indicate values, report risks, and direct the project approach based on the recognized degree of transformability.