Stories of Landscapes. Defining and Narrating Cultural Landscapes: Comparing San Severino Lucano and Rocca Imperiale

The article defines what a cultural landscape is and outlines an unambiguous definition, highlighting possible tools to investigate and talk about the transformations that landscapes undergo over time. Due to sudden climate changes, landscapes are constantly undergoing major transformations. The study of the material component of these landscapes is fundamental to interpret what is happening and understand how to act. In addition to investigating landscapes, they should be narrated, emphasizing not only the material but above all the intangible component, making it possible to document and transmit cultural memory and local history. Storytelling uses different tools to make its communication effective and efficient depending on the context and the type of narration to be made of the landscapes. The article proposes an analysis of two different landscapes that have undergone a continuous transformation in recent years: the mountain landscape of the Pollino National Park, in particular of San Severino Lucano (PZ), and the coastal and agricultural landscape of Rocca Imperiale (CS). The analysis and the narration show that the causes of landscape changes are different: one related to climate change, the other to economic and social reasons.