SHEEP PENS AND REGNOSTRI: DRY STONE WALL FOR PASTORAL BORDERS AT SALTO-CICOLANO

Since 2006, census and cataloging initiatives and campaigns have been underway in the Salto-Cicolano plateaus. Subsequently, since 2016, CRITEVAT has carried out survey activities, energy modeling and building analysis, mainly dedicated to the present and future of the many ancient building evidences and rural artefacts. The contribution focuses, as a necessary supplement to previous ones, on the linear boundary building elements: the enclosure, the perimeter walls of the closing pen, and the “regnostro”, a typical anti- wolf fence. The construction techniques for dwellings are those of traditional masonry, including vaulted masonry, while for all linear boundary structures, both double leaf masonry (facing and core) with lime mortar and drystone masonry are identified. In particular pens and “regnostri” are made of dry-stone masonry showing a consistent repertoire of rules of art. In addition, the presence in the area of numerous archaeological emergences of terracing masonry in polygonal work means that the drystone walls of later centuries testify to an extraordinary continuity of building knowledge dating back to the mists of time.