The Montagna Materana embodies “marginality within marginality.” Its landscapes carry layers of history and culture, preserving traces of human presence that interact with nature, balancing urban settlements with rural nomadism.
Inspired by Rosario Assunto, this research explores innovative approaches to describe these lands, focusing on overlooked territories, forgotten itineraries, urban centers, and isolated structures like masserie—nomadic monuments holding both material and immaterial heritage, ready to be revived if properly documented. They are “the face of peasant civilization” (Levi, 1945), whose enduring forms are reimagined in contemporary interpretations.
The study proposes a dynamic approach to experiencing the landscape, translatable into sustainable practices and cultural tourism, with digital creations embedded as “rural nomadic outposts.” The calanchi, sculpted by the dialogue between humans and nature, become “landscape parks” through digital maps, turning fragments into “cultural islands” of renewed significance.
