THE RURAl OF 'ALY

rupted body of experience which is certain to en- dow even the humblest building with the dignity Authors of studies generally speak nowadays of of a monument designed to defy the passmg of time. "rural architecture in Italy" and not of "Italian rural Hence for enlightenment on the phenomenon we are architecture", because of the great variety of forms examining we must look back to the complex world and structures to be found in our rural buildings. of popular traditions and popular culture. The origins and development of su ch architecture The rural architecture of the Roman period now be- can be understood only if we place its principal longs solely to the realm of the archaeologist. ln aspects and problems within a general historical the Middle Ages the architecture of the country- perspective . On the basis of a variety of physical and cJimatic side reverted to the tyvical form of the castrum features we can divide the country into three types or fortified agricultural village. But the growth of region~, nameJy , the Alpine chain and a part of of the cities was closely tied up with the new rush the Appennines, both of which are characterized to "colonize" agriculturalland, and the outcome of by very steep slopes and harsh winters, the plains this process is the specifically urban origin of al- and the low hills where the type of agriculture prac- most aIl the forms of rural dwelling built in the pe- riod between the Ilth and 14th centuries in Central tised exerts an indirect influence, and Southern ItaJy and the islands with their long and arid sum- Italy. The imprint of urban on rural society is re- mers. vealed in the single-unit dwell ing with more than one The materials habitually used for rural buildings fJoor, the "tower" house, and other closed-in forms. -stone, tufa, brick and wood -are those deri- ln the period that follows we witness on the one hand ving ultimately from the soil on which the buildings the beginning of an autonomous development in stand. Technological differences, though largely rural building, and on the other the first attempts dependent on economic and social disparities, are to achieve the earliest versions of what was to be the also part I y the result of differences in the mate- typical Renaissance dwelling; and here, according rials employed . to Leon Battista Alberti, country houses are pre- Basically Italy belongs to the area in which the cisely those which pose the lesser problems. For ru- dominant features- rectangular ground-plans and ral architecture, the better to adapt itself to its func- pitched roofs-are those of Southern Europe. How- tions in agricultural production, was shaking off evEr , Cmtral European and oriental forms (flat the influence of the traditional urban styles. roofs) also occur within the political frontiers of ln the 16th and 17th centuries there came "refeudali- the country, as weIl as sporadic examples of aty- zation", as a result of which agricultural landscapes pica! structures (such as round with conical came to reflect sociological divis'ons with tver greater roofs) .But the three fundamental "Italic" forms, fidelity. The turning-point was the development of which are the single-unit dwelling, thehouse built the big crop-growingfarmsof the 18th century: the round a central court yard, and the composite rural dwelling ceased to be an imitation of the model house, alI belong t() Southern Europe. Mention should set by the ruling classes and became something de- aJso be made here of those buildings of the southern liberately planned to suit the agricultural set-up. part of the peninsula and of Sicily in which a se- The vernacular architecture of the countryside 10- ries of units have been merged to form a single com- ses its derivative character when there emerges pact whole. a genuine agricultural proletariat which no longer aspires to a "superior" culture imitating that of its employers. The similarities and differences between town and The 19th century carries the contradiction between country and between urban centre and rural suburb form and function to ïts logical conclusion, as can oblige us to look into the hîstorical origins and com- be seen, for example, in the "planned" projects for mon roots of the two. Rural architecture contains on reclaimed land. The architectural design within itsèlf the expression of an al most uninter- adopted remains a lifeless decorative element, a deliberately .'vernacular" imitation of the rural and are often built of unplastered stone laid with houses of the past. lime-mortar. The new rural architecture of the present day is IV strongly influenced by urban building. Technolo- In the Appennines the search for hill-top sites (Iess gical progress and ease of transport have facilitated the use of building materials hitherto unknown in frequent today as a result of land-reclamation) can some regions. Morfover, new materials -iron, con- be promoted by very different factors.ln the northern and central parts of the Appennines one finds the crete, brickwork, wire-drawn steel and, more recently prefabricated units -are constantIy being intro- typical "Italic'. brick house,built on two levels with duced. a rectangular ground-plan, a lightly-pitched gable roof and an outdoor staircase; it hou ses both farm- III premlses and living accommodation, so that it The Alpine region possesses evffy variety of rural mayas a general rule be qualified as a single-unit dwelling. The roof is covered with slates or flat ti- dwelling that could derive from the mingljng of the les and there is a water-butt. Such houses are also different cultures -the Latil:t and the Germanie. known as .'slant ' , houses because of the way they are ln general the wooden house with roof sloping to- wards the north represents an adaptation of the dwel- designed to adapt themselves to the physical fea- lings of the mountainous areas of Central Germany, tures of their site. The ground floor is used as a while the brick house with roof sloping southwards barn and tool-, or to house the livestock, while the upper floor contains the kitchen and bedrooms. belongs to the cultural sphere of the Roman world. The use of wood -excellent as an insulating ma- ln mountainous areas materials such as field- terial -is widespread. The single-unit building stone or rubble are used; frequently, too, one finds with farming premises and living accommodation dry wall\ng without mortar. The stone buildings under one and the sa me roof is typical of mountainous are almost always left unstuccoed. ln the vicmity of clay soils mudbrick, baked or unbaked, is also country. though there is no lack of "composite'. houses. used. It should be observed that the Alpine population ln the Appennines one finds ali sorts of temporary lives for the most part in close-knit villages which shelters, among which we should mention the char- have retained their origina,1 layout. This compact- coal-burners' huts. ness reflects at once the tendency towards communi- V ty living and solidarity in the face of a hostile en- ln Piedmont the commonest type of rural house is vironment and the need to economize arable land easiJy the cascina or farmstead; this is composed of to a maximum. two juxtaposed buildings, one housing living quar- The buildïngs of the sheep-f~rmers are complex ters with a loft above, and the other constituting structures designed to accommodate human beings. the cascina proper and housing the livestock, as weIl flocks and farm products. They have gable roofs as a hay-Ioft reached by the outside staircase and nestling under a roof with somewhat projecting ea- hired farm-hands. Architecturally, one is struck ves. Outbuildirigs include repair shops for carts and by the simplicity and the clearly functional divi- implements. Such are the typical homes of the small- sion between the buildings housing the living quar- holders or tenant-farmers. ters and the stables, cow$heds, etc.; these, with There is no lack of "court yard' .houses in the coun- their lofts, form either distinct units or juxtaposed try, though they are most prevalent in Lombardy. series. A high wall or hedge along one or two sides of the open space gives the place its "court yard ' , Emilia and Veneto. The form f'merged between the 16th and IBth centuries as the logical reflection ~tructure. of the sociological position of the owners of landed The houses one finds in the areas bordering the lower property at that period. Its socio-economic basis reaches of the Po, Adige and Brenta present a varie- is essentially to be found in the relations between ty of features characteristic of these areas ever sin- the landlord or tenant-farmer andhishiredworkers ce man first settled there. The types of rural dwel- and the marked complexity of the agricultural ope- lings most frequently encountered are either com- rations. The most significant and characteristic pletely isolated or grouped to form small settle- internaI feature of the court yard dwelling is its ments; they are traditional in style and built in open space, which may be completely or aJmost two or three storeys, with kitchen and one or two compJetely surrounded by farm-buildings or wafls storage areas on the ground floor, and with an in- with doors in them, and may in addition be encircled door staircase leading to the sleeping quarters and -or rather rounded -by a Ilve hedge. The main the loft. The kitchen hearth with its high mantel- elements invariably present in this type of rural piece is built agaînst the front wall; there is a pit- homestead are the landlord's house and the hou ses ched roof, with the gables on the shcrter si des of of the hired workers, which form an unbroken the building, and relativelywide windows opening series under one long roof, the stables and cow- on to inside walls of baked brick. There are also houses with their hay-lofts, and, lastly, the store- invariably two large outhouses with lofts adjoi- bouses, and barns and other single-storey farm ning the house, which accommodate livestock and buildings. There are one or two doorwilys, one lead- farm implements. The roofs of these are steeply pit- ing out to the street and the other leading di!ectly ched and have projecting eaves reaching almost to the fields. down to the ground. Another kind of court yard dwelling forms the cen- 01:1 the plains of the Po Valley with their clay soil tral nucleus of a small agricultural settlement in- the basic materi(JI used for rural buildings is clay habited by small-holders, tenant-farmers and even mudbrick, sometimes unbaked. ln the hilly areas mixed brick and stone walls are frequent. Laterite tremely irregular ground-plans. But this type of is widely used for arches and vaults, and roofs are dwelling is now rapidly disappearing. generally tiled. v In Southern Italy the prevalent type of dwelling is the single-storey rural . Very common in ln Central I taly (Tuscany. U mbria the Marches. Campania, Basilicata and Calabria, this consists Latium), one most I y finds rural houses of the "Ita- in a single ground-floor room, often aboveor below lic'. type of which mention has already been made. street-Ievel. These houses date back to remote origins. belon- The trullo or conical dwelling of Apulia, is a des- ging to a type which. as is shown by old drawings. cendant of the circular single-room day has tenaciously suf\'Ïved. They are single-unit dwel- with roof of stone slabs. In its most common form I ings with more than one storey. with rectangular the trullo is a single-storey independent building with ground-plan and gable roof; the ground floor is a rectangular ground-plan and a conical roof above occupied by the farming premises and the living each internaI division. It is thus the outcome of the quart ers above are reached by an outside staircase. merging of a series of round buildings with tapering Much more rarely. one finds sofiewhat sifiilar hou- roofs designed to serve as living quarters or as farm ses of one kind or another with a square ground- buildings. In (\ne version of it there is a separation plan and indoor staircase. ground-floor kitchen and between the area serving as barns or sheds and the roof top dovecote. living quarters. Another type is distinguished by Another type of rural dwelling co fi mon in Central the substitution of domes in ogival sections or of Italy. especially Latium. is, the "Roman plain'. .'saucer" domes for the usual conical roofs, owing farmhouse. This type of building is the outward to the relative scarcity of limestone slabs. The affi- expression of the constricted economy of the 14th nit y between these simple forms and those of the to 16th centuries which could not afford to neglect natural environment is evident. the demands of defence. There are other cases in As a result of the abundance of sunshine in the south which a massive but compact building directly ad- and the consequent desire for outdoor life, combined joins a more simple one with which it practically with the need to keep the house as cool as possible forfis a single-unit structure; the ground-plan may indoors, many hou ses are provided with porticoes, be square or forfi an elongated rectangle. And one ter~aces, roof-gardens or . AIl of these fea- also finds complex farmhouse buildings with ex- tures lend themselves to the essentially geometric resources, the speculative use of agrlcultural lands finement. for their picturesque value, etc. Tufa is widely used in Naples and Bari. [t may be We therefore find ourselves having to deplore the suitably used for walling, within a framework of fact that not only is much of our heritage of rural reinforced concrete, provided the climate is mild, arch itecture in a disastrous condition, if not on snow and heavy rain are rare and the soil rests on a the road to total destruction, but the same also ap- limestone deposit or is very permeable and of vol- plies to our soil,water,air, flora and fauna, which canic origin. are gravely imperilled in the present day state of ln view of the existence of a dry season -especial- the country. I y in the south and on the island -the storage of The future of our rural architectural heritage is clear- water is a necessity. This explains the fairly wide ly bound up with the country's choice of economic use of the t ypical flat or vaulted roof. which is cer- and social policy. ln our own view, the objectives tainly a basic feature in the designing of rural hou- of any plan must include stabilization of population ses intended to allow of optimum adaptation ta figuresthrough increased job-opportunities in the arid climatic conditions. Even barrel vaults are primary sector and thé development of modern frequent. especially over barns and sheds. social services and of the infrastructure making for improved living conditicns throughout the coun- tryside; at the same time emphasis must be laid ln the course of the last few decades the Italian ag- on the need for preservation and reassessment of ricultural landscape has undergone considerable our natural and historic environ ment in the inte- change. The most outstanding phenomenon is"de-rura- rests of ecological balance.Special i mpoI tance is atta- lization", deriving to a large extent from the aban- ched to the instruments of planning which must be don ment of lands and homes byagriculturalwork- devised, the effective measures adopted, and the ers forced to seek other occupations and better means commitments and safeguards connected with the of livelihood elsewhere. There are also many other protection of the natural environ ment and the man- factors such as the expansion of industry, the gene- made visual environment bequeathed by history, raI depopulation of the countryside, the absence of with particular reference to the criteria for practic- any effective plan or programme for agricultural al use of the rural buildings which survive today. Francesco LA REGINA, Italy

RESUME

La grande richesse des structures et des formes données Du point de vue géographique, on dist' InJ!~-=- plusieur. aux bâtiments ruraux, en Italie, ainsi que la grande zones: variété de leur architecture extérieure, attestent que -Dans la zone alpine, le bois est génén men, diverses influences se sont exercées lors de la formation lisé. Les maisons ont une large toiture, I npn de ces types de construction. regroupent le logement et l'exploitatil L'architecture rurale de l'époque romaine présente -Au nord et au centre des Appenins, p "maison italienne'.: bâtiment en brique, , surtout un intérêt archéologique. L'architecture rura- à deux ni lt médiévale se développa du XIème au XIVème siè- t.{QUX, Qt.fC un toit à deux pentes fortes et un escalie cle, avec la formation de nombreux ty pes de maisons, en extérieur menant à l'étage . Italie centrale. Les constructions locatives urbaines -Dans le Piémont, la ferme compren d deux bâ apparurent au début de la Renaissance. Le XVIème timents juxtaposés, l' habitation et l'explo itation agri et le X V I I ème siècles .sont caractèrisés par des villas construites dans la campagne. Au XVIIIème siècle -Dans les basses vallées du Pô, de l ge et a la villa se transforme en ferme. Au XIXème siècle, Brenta, les maisons ont deux ou trois res, aue les types de construction traditionnels sont abandonnés cuisine et une ou deux pièces au sous-soJ es cham et l'on en vient à de médiocres imitations des maisons à coucher à l' étage. rurales anciennes. -En Lombardie. Emilie et Vénétie. les différentes La maison rurale contemporaine réunit dans le même types de maisons rurales se sont furmés e tre le X V I ème bâtiment l' habitation et l'exploitation agricole. et le XVlllème siècles.