Storia dell’architettura e storia del paesaggio: prospettive convergenti

Abstract

This paper explores the intersecting perspectives of architectural and landscape history, emphasizing their interdisciplinary potential. Recent methodological diversity in architectural history has opened new research avenues, particularly at the crossroads of ecological, agrarian, and forestry sciences. Although landscape history emerged only in the nineteenth century, it shares strong connections with architectural studies in terms of analyzing the dynamic interactions between humans and their environment. Tracing its historiographical development, this study explores key contributions, from Jacob Burckhardt’s cultural approach to Emilio Sereni’s research on Italian agrarian landscapes. It differentiates landscape history from environmental history, noting that the former focuses on cultural perceptions and spatial organization, while the latter examines broader ecological transformations. Despite these distinctions, both disciplines deepen our knowledge of architecture within its territorial and environmental contexts. A case study of the Clitunno Springs in Umbria illustrates this interdisciplinary approach. The site, which includes a medieval temple-church, embodies layered historical interpretations, from its origins as a Roman sacred site to its Christianization and later Romantic rediscovery. Using regressive analysis, the paper reconstructs the site’s transformations over time to reveal a continuous interplay between architecture and landscape. It argues that integrating architectural and landscape history sharpens our understanding of built heritage and demonstrates the enduring cultural significance of places shaped by both human intervention and natural processes.