A taxonomy of vernacular heritage in the mid-Adriatic: Landscape relations and architectural characteristics of the farmhouses in Tronto Valley (Italy)

The hilly area of Central Italy represents one of the most original characteristics of Italian agrarian system distinguished by a particular form and technique of land management, la Mezzadria (sharecropping), which was a contract stipulated between a landowner and the farmer, reflected in the construction of open space as well as artifacts. The structure of rural settlements typical of sharecropping is a mosaic of terrains with scattered farmhouses (case coloniche), connected by a dense road network. The architecture of these structures is always the same with only slight variations articulated by the form of the terrain and in rela tionship with their use and the road pathways, and is characterised by a rectangular plan with the rooms dispersed on two floors and an external staircase which is the prevalent distinguishing trait. Sharecropping rural heritage represents an important case study for the analysis and cataloguing of vernacular architec ture since artifacts come from precise needs linked to the social and cultural life of the farming family. This paper investigates vernacular rural architecture in Central Italy, particularly in the mid-Adriatic in the southern Marche Region, by building up an investigative and categorization method: selecting precise geographical areas where the original farmhouses have first been identified by studying historical maps of the 19th century before moving on to in situ exploration. Photography has also been a useful instrument for constructing the taxonomy of rural ruins which today are in a state of total abandonment; showing the photographs next to each other allows us to more clearly identify and understand subtle differences and suggest a reuse of the buildings.