Trasformando lo sguardo. Il ruolo della vegetazione nella conservazione dei manufatti in forma di rudere

“It is undeniable that infesting vegetation settling in monumental sites is a paramount cause of degradation” (Bettini,1996).The soundness of this assumption and the reliability of the following consolidated design and management practices for archaeological sites is definite. Nevertheless since several years, multidisciplinary researches and investigations are carried out, aiming to redefine the role of vegetation in conservation projects for archaeological areas. Since the 18° century, some attempts at landscaping archaeological sites have been practiced, but only in exceptional cases, strategies for controlled and compatible management of vegetation have been taken into consideration. The influence of the vegetation framework on the conservation of ruins was taken even less into account: the only documented exception in Italy is Giacomo Boni’s theoretical and practical work in Rome, dating back to the 19° and 20° centuries. The contribution comes from a wider interdisciplinary research on the topics of design and active conservation of archaeological landscapes, carried out by the authors. The main goal of the paper is to highlight the necessity to review the maintenance practices, normally applied to archaeological sites, such as the complete and non-selective removal of existing vegetation, without regard for the species and without considering the index of dangerousness and actual invasive processes of each plant. Instead, the paper will demonstrate how an appropriate, compatible and well-managed vegetation framework could contribute to the preservation of ruins.