Sustainable Conservation and Management of a 20th-Century Landscape in the Alps: The Former Sanatorium Village of Sondalo

This article discusses how to sustainably manage and protect the Alpine landscape from the risk of extreme weather events due to climate change. The authors present the results achieved by applying the Conservation and Management Plan (CMP) method in the case of a large terraced healing park built in the Central Alps in the 1930s and damaged in 2018 by the effects of Storm Adrian (also known as Vaia). We thoroughly analysed the state of preservation through historical documentation, aerial shooting with a drone, a tree-by-tree evaluation, and a GIS platform for integrated information management. Such a CMP approach is usually applied to assess the state of decay and plan for the sustainable conservation of historic buildings and gardens. The method of analysis and the performed activities allowed us to evaluate the park’s landscape values and identify the elements of risk, leading to the drafting of a monitoring map and guidelines of intervention. This experience made it possible to test its effectiveness in protecting the Alpine landscape and its specific fragility.