Guardia di Folgaria:

an unusual «bottom-up» management of the traditional rural landscape

What is GUARDIA?

A little village that belongs to the

municipality of Folgaria

Height: 875 m a.s.l.

Placed on the left slope of the valley of

Rio Cavallo

Distance from Folgaria: 10 km

Distance from the Adige Valley: 10 km

Closest villages: Mezzomonte (at 5 km)

and Serrada (at 4 km)

Regular inhabitants: 73 people

Summer population: about 150 people

Public facilities: a bar-restourant

Trento

Rovereto

Guardia

Where is GUARDIA?

From «Atlas Tyrolensis» (Peter Anich and Blasius Hueber, 1774)

From «Carta topografica del Regno Lombardo-Veneto» (1833)

Right slope

(south

facing)

Left slope

(north

facing)

Valley of

Rio Cavallo

Guardia

Winter solstice – 10 a.m.

Winter solstice – early in the afternoon

From the Austrian historical cadastral map (1865)

From the Austrian historical cadastral map (1865)

woodlands

vineyards

meadows

crops and fruit trees

A description of the traditional rural landscape.

“I came in Serrada at 10 in the morning and after a

break I went westwards.

As I crossed the fields of those rough mountain dwellers,

I saw that they were cultivating wheat, rye, barley,

cauliflower, turnip, broad bean and buckwheat, which

does not become ripe when the season is

unfavourable.

Anyway, up there the best cares were payed to

cabbage. …”

Pietro Giuseppe Adalpreto Cristofori (1765-1848),

during a botanical excursion on the Mount

Finonchio which took place on June 20, 1817.

dung

grass, hay, fodder,

straw, wood,

branches, foliage (dung)

grapes, cereal,

vegetables

Ondertol (639 m)

Pozzi (550 m)

Guardia (875 m)

Prai del Finoncio - Pra dei Guardiani (1500-1600 m)

Boschi de la Guardia - Val dei Guardiani (900-1500 m)

Vertical relationships

Guardia, 1960

The village and the ancient

belt of crops.

The belt of woodlands.

The belt of grasslands and

pasturelands.

Guardia’s pupils in 1920:

37 boys and girls

Guardia’s regular inhabitants in 2013:

73 people

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

1824

1833

1843

1853

1863

1873

1879

1884

1895

1913

1921

1951

1961

1978

1991

2003

anni

resid

en

ti

Guardia

Mezzomonte

Serrada

Decrease in population in the period 1915-2013:

Serrada: -51%

Mezzomonte: -72%

Guardia: -74%

Is GUARDIA

an unlucky place to live?

Long-lasting geographical isolation

Unfavourable north-facing exposition

Steep terrain

Forced exodus during the First World War, migrations, depopulation, ageing

Missed involvement in the tourist growth of Folgaria

Real risks: fringe collocation, land abandonment, loss of identity

1861 2009

Northern slope of Mount Finonchio:

changes in rural landscape over the last 150 years.

Surveyed surface area

(661,9 hectares) Variation (1861-2009)

Buildings, roads, infrastructures 5,55 ha → 14,13 ha

Woodlands and wastelands 578,29 ha → 615,02 ha

Meadows, pasturelands, crops,

vineyards, orchards, kitchen

gardens 78,06 ha → 32,75 ha

Guardia’s current rural surroundings:

small glacial terrace with handmade terracing and grassy embankments, mostly

with meadows (crops prevailing in the past);

rather large terraces, from slightly to highly steep;

dry stone walls made of prevailng limestone.

1861 2009

= woodlands

Why are woodlands not invading Guardia’s surroundings?

The collective mowing of the meadows

of Guardia: Promoted by the «Circolo Culturale e Ricreativo di

Guardia»

Practised for more than 30 years

An annual mowing at the end of June

The involved terrain covers about 15 hectares; it is private; it belongs to several owners; it is largely placed on steep slopes

Hand and mechanical mowing (the «Circolo» owns tools and machinery)

Self-run non-profit activity

The revenues from the selling of hay and a public financing cover the costs

Environmental outputs of the collective mowing:

Preservation of the typical mountainous landscape

characterised by combination and alternation of

various patches (woodlands, pasturelands, meadows,

orchards, vineyards) (a kind of landscape which is

commonly defined as «beautiful» and «appealing»)

Maintenance of biodiversity (high variety of plant

species, animal species, habitats and ecosystems)

Preservation of the typical mountainous landscape

characterised by combination and alternation of

various patches (woodlands, pasturelands, meadows,

orchards, vineyards) (a kind of landscape which is

commonly defined as «beautiful» and «appealing»)

Maintenance of biodiversity (high variety of plant

species, animal species, habitats and ecosystems)

But there are social outputs too…

Pressure of geographical

and environmental

features and decline of the

traditional mountain

economy

Migrations, depopulation, land

abandonment

Reinforcement of the

sense of identity, the

sense of belonging and

social cohesion into the

last inhabitants

«Bottom-up», self-run,

non profit, collective

initiatives and activities of

various types (cultural,

recreational, tourist,

environmental) Shared and sustainable

community pattern,

aimed at preserving local

identity and giving added

value to the territory.

Contrasting land

abandonment and

uniformity of

places, landscape

and landforms

Virtuous circle!

The needed «ingredients»:

A local community characterised by high sense of

identity, public spirit, social cohesion and

responsibility

General awareness of the importance of these

«bottom-up» good practises and consequent support

from institutions (local, regional, national, European

institutions)

Clear and easy-to-apply laws and regulations

Initiatives aimed to make these «bottom-up» good

practises be known, appreciated and supported

But…

how long

will they

resist?

… that has to be known

… that is worth encouraging

… that needs to be sustained

… that could be extended to other similar fringe

mountainous sceneries.

A «bottom-up» good practice…

If you want to know more about the village:

LARCHER F., 2007- Guardia, published by «Circolo Ricreativo Culturale Guardia»,

311 pages

If you want to know more about the collective mowing and the environmental

scenery:

SARZO A., 2009- I prati di Guardia: un insolito modello di autogestione collettiva

del paesaggio rurale tradizionale. Ann. Mus. Civ. Rovereto, Vol. 25: 149-201

http://www.museocivico.rovereto.tn.it/UploadDocs/3291_art08_sarzo.pdf

This is the end of

the annual

collective

mowing:

what are they

doing?

Don’t you see anything unusual?

Thanks

and … visit

Guardia!