Aesthetic qualities and fragments of history in the Tiburtine landscape (Italy). Places of the ‘sacred’ and ancient itineraries. Protection and conservation

The study concerned the Tiburtine territory of eastern Lazio, and in particular the area of the pass between the valleys crossed by the rivers Empiglione and Giovenzano, the two left tributaries of the Aniene. The geomorphological aspect of a territory, a natural quality, can trigger a visual attraction capable of arousing the genesis of added values (symbolic, religious …) in some environmental contexts, charging them with further qualities that, absorbed into the culture, contribute to the aesthetic experience that takes place in them. Starting from these considerations, those peculiarities that have contributed in history to the characterization of the landscape context around the area under study were identified. Through ancient sources, material traces, the perception of places, the relationships between natural elements and anthropic traces, two ancient routes of particular importance have been identified, one on the ridge and the other halfway up the eastern slope of the Prenestini Mountains overlooking the Giovenzano valley, which have contributed to the definition of the peculiarities of the contemporary landscape, for conservation but also as support for a possible cultural enhancement, inherent in the project.