Acquacheta: a brief history of a place on the edge of urbanism

In this brief historical narration of the Acquacheta Valley, the relationship between space and its communities is put first. Its geographical character places it in a marginal position compared to the main urbanization process that surrounded it. The environmental conditions and the social interpretations, which have transformed it from a Benedictine settlement to a partisan resistance domain and, more recently, to a sort of promised land for the establishment of ecosophical rural communes, characterize it as a spatial reserve of sense, in both ecological and cultural features. Today, its inhabitants propose projects aimed at repopulating the area, which have to endorse place vocation — namely, extending the cultivated surfaces according to self-reliance ecological principles, setting up light structures to enhance people's coming and enjoying the place through ecological observation, trekking, and temporary eco-camping.