Hidden, accessible, granted? Exploring the diverse localization of neglected sites and their connection with the day-to-day landscape

Abstract

The transformation of the territory through human action sometimes leads to the construction of artefacts which lose their original function over time and become devalued by community members. Furthermore, the human presence can determine the improper use of the space where the unwanted is left by who had passed by. Even in today’s world, where lawmakers are more and more attentive to the landscape quality, it is very easy the emergence of new neglected sites, where a gap between past and present cultural, psychological, emotional, and economic values arises. The contribution of geography in this field can be manifold, being capable of offering reflections on how these situations of abandonment are determined, who produced them, in what period and what the consequences for the affected society are. The production of such information can be important not only for knowledge creation but also to set up actions aimed at recovering these neglected sites or to prevent other contexts from having a similar end.

This contribution makes use of a series of neglected sites present in the Roman Castle area, on the doorstep of Rome, to reflect on how abandonment is linked to societies and the environment. The study area is characterized by a strong urbanization connected to the proximity of the Italian capital and by the presence of various amenities (two lakes, a protected green area, several ancient villas, to name a few) which make the area a tourist destination, especially for excursions. In particular, the research aims to provide a methodological contribution to the study of abandonment, through the construction of a georeferenced dataset where these sites are mapped. The possibility of overlapping these geographical data with other layers regarding tourism and land cover allows us to assess the proximity of these situations of abandonment with the space of tourism and those of the resident communities.

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