ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCHES FROM THE LIGURIAN APENNINES: MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES TO UNDERSTAND ABANDONMENT PROCESSES OF RURAL AREAS

The Laboratory of Environmental Archaeology and History (LASA), a University of Genoa Interdepartmental Centre founded in 1995, carries out researches in the Ligurian Apennines on environmental resources management, depopulation and abandonment dynamics through a regressive and microhistorical approach. Borrowing from LASA’s methodologies, the paper investigates the historical environmental resource management systems – and their transformation, continuity, and discontinuity over centuries – through an archaeological approach. The aim is to provide an overview of five case studies: Viganego (Bisagno Valley), Castagnello (Sturla Valley), Bosco Fontana (Aveto Valley), Fontanigorda and Rovegno (Trebbia Valley). These municipalities are part of the inner area of Antola-Tigullio, which preserves relevant historical, archaeological and environmental evidences of frequentation dating back to pre-protohistorical times. But which are the limitations of this methodology? And how can we deal with them? The paper discusses these issues in relation to the five case studies: it presents the results of a multidisciplinary approach that combines archaeology with the study of oral tradition, geoarchaeological and ecological data, and archival documentation. The aim is to demonstrate that the abundance of perspectives allows more precise and comprehensive data about depopulation and abandonment dynamics – and, consequently, to develop more effective strategies for environmental resources management, preservation and safeguard of upland landscapes and memories. The data are the outcome of a PhD project funded by the Department for Cohesion Policies of the Italian Ministry, which works in collaboration with the National Strategy for Inland Areas to fight marginalization and demographic decline of rural areas.