The sense of place between history and current events. The Passo della Fortuna near Ciciliano (Rome)

Starting from the concept of place, and specifically, the sense of place in reference to the cultural process through which a place is imbued with meaning and becomes a distinctive element of the landscape, this paper has delved into the Passo della Fortuna area, near Ciciliano in eastern Lazio. This important pass is located between the Empiglione and Giovenzano valleys, the two tributaries of the Aniene River before Tivoli. The aim of the study was to reconstruct the transformation of the area and its perception over time, and then identify its current values in order to plan protection and conservation actions and evaluate potential proactive interventions for informed management, in line with current territorial needs, within the broader cultural landscape. The area, analyzed from a geomorphological, naturalistic, historical, and perceptual perspective, using direct and indirect survey tools, has allowed us to identify its distinctive features, the characteristics that contribute to the aesthetic identity of the place and contribute to the shaping of the landscape. A landscape which, as such, changes with time, and in relation to which only a profound knowledge allows us to activate the appropriate tools for the critical control of the inevitable change, which does not alter the aesthetic identity of the places that define it.