Close to the volcan. Knowledge, conservation and enhancement of a Vesuvian vernacular heritage

In the area surrounding the slopes of the volcano, a historical network of rural architecture created by the known fertility of the Vesuvian soil can be identified. The terrain, rich in minerals due to the pyro-clastic nature of the site, has since Roman times favoured the construction of agricultural structures, more or less concentrated in areas where the impervious nature of the soil allowed a profitable settle-ment for cultivation. The network of such examples of vernacular architecture, located within the boundaries of the Vesuvius National Park, is still visible today, albeit fragmented and in a state of abandonment. An ongoing research has made it possible to carry out an initial rigorous survey. These buildings are expression of distribution criteria in line with their function and represent the close rela-tionship between settlement typology and territory. This peculiarity is strongly reflected in the construc-tive techniques and also represents the material evidence of a particular building savoir-faire passed down through the centuries. Materials taken from the site (e.g. lavas, lava foam, lapilli, pumice, etc.) are used and although there is no accurate quarrying of the stone, there is the technique 'a cantieri' with a strong mortar as a binder. The typology is diversified: from the small presidio to the building arranged on two levels, sometimes turreted, depending on the production and cultivation commitment. Unlike the traditional farms (masserie) located further down the valley, which have already been the subject of a considerable historiography, these cases of rural architecture located further up the slope have never been the subject of systematic survey. The contribution aims to focus on this almost un-published heritage and to illustrate a methodology of integrated knowledge linked to the peculiarities of the volcanic site. The conservation of these vernacular architectures, in fact, plays a central role in the reading and understanding of the multidimensional values of the Vesuvius-Bay of Naples cultural land-scape