OVERVIEW

The concept of “landscape” has become crucial in national and international public and academic debates on sustainable territorial governance and heritage. The course aims to provide students with the conceptual and methodological tools of the geographical and historical-geographical approach, designed to foster a critical, diachronic, and interdisciplinary perspective on territorial, environmental, and landscape issues, including their application in management and enhancement practices.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to provide the theoretical and applicative knowledge necessary for the understanding of the fields of landscape research developed within the discipline of Geography. The course focuses on the reconstruction of the genesis of the landscape concept and the evolution of its meaning within geographical analysis. Secondly, it examines the different conservation and protection practices at international and national level. In addition, the interpretative models developed in contemporary research and political practice are explored. The complex relationship between landscape and environment, landscape design and use according to a sustainability criterion, together with the presentation of case studies, complete the analytical framework through which the student acquires the skills to read the landscape, recognizing it as a phenomenon not only territorial, but also socio-cultural.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students will acquire skills in reading and interpreting the main types of sources (textual, iconographic, cartographic, and field-based) used in geographical and historical-geographical research.

The main objectives of the course are:

1. to gain mastery of the principal geographical theories of landscape and the skills needed to develop critical reflection on ongoing processes of territorialization;
2. to develop analytical proficiency in the tools for observing and interpreting landscapes across past and present, also with a view to applied aims such as the identification of historical-environmental heritage and sustainable management;
3. to become familiar with the most advanced methods and tools of geographical and historical-geographical research, also in dialogue with other disciplines.

By the end of the course, students will:

• have acquired an understanding of the origins and meanings of the term and concept of “landscape” in geography and in other disciplines, as well as their evolution over time;
• have developed an adequate awareness of processes of territorialization and of the historical nature of Mediterranean landscapes;
• have engaged with and become familiar with the main recent regulatory frameworks for the protection and enhancement of landscape;
• master the basic tools for landscape interpretation through a biographical approach, drawing on a wide range of geographical and historical-geographical sources.

PREREQUISITES

There are no specific requirements.

TEACHING METHODS

​The course will be delivered through in-person lectures, supported by in-depth presentation slides.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course focuses in particular on the general concepts and key terms of the geographical discipline, the main methodologies employed, the thematic issues currently under debate, and potential developments in the public and applied spheres related to the study of landscape. Special attention is given to the theme of the “historical landscape,” its diachronic analysis through the landscape biography approach, and reflection on the current processes of heritagization affecting rural landscapes.

The course is structured as a series of lectures aimed first at providing a general epistemological and theoretical framework, followed by a set of in-depth research-focused sessions. Methodologies are presented both in terms of their theoretical foundations and through the discussion of case studies.

The topics covered include:

• Key terms in geography and historical geography
• Current processes affecting rural landscapes
• Sources of geography and historical geography for the study and analysis of landscapes
• Historical cartography and the history of cartography
• Geohistorical odeporic sources for the history of landscape
• GIS, Historical GIS, and digital tools
• Experiences of historical geography applied to historical-environmental heritage

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The list of readings may be subject to change; therefore, before purchasing or borrowing the texts, it is advisable to wait for the start of the course and the presentation of the syllabus by the instructor.

Attending students are required to study for the exam:

1. The content of the lectures and the materials provided during the course

2. One volume of their choice from the following list:

• Ferrario V. (2019), Letture geografiche di un paesaggio storico. La coltura promiscua della vite nel Veneto, Cierre Edizioni, Verona.
• Gabellieri N., Gallia A., Guadagno E. (2023), Enogeografie. Itinerari geostorici e geografici dei paesaggi vitati, tra pianificazione e tutela ambientale, Società Geografica Italiana, Rome (available at https://societageografica.net/wp/2023/05/23/vol-7-enogeografie/).
• Piana P. (2020), Paper landscapes. Topographical art and environmental change in Liguria, Aracne, Rome.
• Piana P., Gabellieri N., Gallia A. (eds.), La trama del paesaggio. Racconti e immagini del Grand Tour tra geografia, storia e progetto territoriale, Viella, Rome, 2025 (available at https://www.viella.it/libro/9791257010478).

Non-attending students are required to study for the exam:

1. Two volumes of their choice from the list above

2. The following articles:

• Ferrario V., Turato A. (2019), Quali politiche per i paesaggi rurali storici in Italia? Riflessioni su alcune recenti iniziative pubbliche, attraverso l’esame di due casi studio, “Ri-Vista. Research for Landscape Architecture”, 17(2), 78-93.
• Guarducci A., Rombai L. (2017), Paesaggio e territorio, il possibile contributo della geografia. Concetti e metodi, “Scienze del territorio”, 5, pp. 19-25.
• Quaini M. (2008), Poiché niente di quello che la storia sedimenta va perduto, “Quaderni storici”, 43(1), 55-110.
• Moreno D., Cevasco R., Guido M. A., Montanari C. (2005), L’approccio storico-archeologico alla copertura vegetale: il contributo dell’archeologia ambientale e dell’ecologia storica, in Caneva G. (ed.), La biologia vegetale per i beni culturali, vol. II, Conoscenza e valorizzazione, Nardini Editore, Florence, pp. 463-498.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

REBEKKA ANNIE PAUL DOSSCHE (President)

CARLA PAMPALONI

LORENZO BROCADA (Substitute)

NICOLA GABELLIERI (President)

REBEKKA ANNIE PAUL DOSSCHE (President Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

9th February 2026

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Assessment of learning will take the form of an individual oral examination based on the reference texts and lecture notes, aimed at evaluating both the acquisition of course content and the student’s ability to critically rework and articulate arguments.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The examination aims to assess knowledge of the fundamental contents of the discipline, as well as methodological and interpretative skills. It will also evaluate the ability to address the topics using appropriate terminology, with clarity and critical insight.

Exam schedule