Experimental projects to integrate landscape and cultural heritage in rural areas

Rural areas are places where culture, landscape and nature coexist.The research considers rural areas as “landscape” in order to underline its complex system of natural and anthropological relations, with reference to the European Landscape Convention’s definition of landscape. The rural landscape is an essential lever for the sustainable development as it creates life and job possibilities and provides food, goods and services.For these reasons the territory together with the citizens’ needs, have to be approached from a different perspective that combines protection, transformation processes and the active use of cultural heritage, also to rebuild the relationship between heritage and landscape and able to involve people in the transformation process. Coherently with the Faro Convention lines of development. The recommendations of the European Union for the economic social and cultural development recognize that the cultural heritage has a key role for the competitive development of territory and society. In particular they points out the essential role that the rural landscape plays for the economic growth, wealth and development. Two cases study have been developed in Mantua, UNESCO town and Italian Capital of Culture 2016, and in Milan, rural metropolis. They are a paradigmatic example of that cultural historical landscapes highly representative for the construction of the European identity. Starting from concrete experimented issues the paper identifies some guiding principles for the enhancement project in rural landscapes, able to combine natural, cultural and socio-economic resources. In particular: reuse of neglected structures (rural and hydraulic buildings, rural houses etc.) for social and economic activities; recovery of abandoned rural areas for production or naturalization; enhancement of natural and environmental heritage (reserves, protected areas etc.); multi-functionality (also connected to the achievement of green corridors and implementation of biodiversity).