From Agriculture To Tourist-Culture

From Agriculture To Tourist-Culture

March – May 2008, Cisternino-Stockholm
In partnership with the Master Course Studio 4 – AY 2008 – KTH – Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm

from agriculture to tourist culture

This course analysed the marked change affecting the Valle d’Itria: from a society based on small-scale farming to a region receiving an ever-increasing influx of tourists.
Two local case studies were analysed: agricultural constructions (trulli and masserie) and the situation of historical centres.
The Valle d’Itria is characterised by the presence of long-standing and well-maintained trulli. The fortified constructions of the masserie belong to the same family of rural complexes. These buildings represent a unique architectural example of the development and evolution of the agricultural community in this hilly region.
The phenomenon of the abandonment of agriculture seen over recent years is making way for investors who buy plots and often develop them inappropriately.
The aim of the course was to provide an in-depth understanding of the characteristics of this area and identify the parameters for coherent development.