Overlapping Layers: a representation and learning landscape code for Dropull

This research paper provides a base for drawing up the development of a general strategy and “acupunctural” experiences to identify and record liminal landscape potentialities of the Municipality of Dropull, located in the South-eastern cross border area between Albania and Greece. According to this key objective, the study looks at the liminal characteristics and potentials of Sofratikë, one of the four villages of the valley of the Drinos River, allowing to achieve the knowledge and understanding of many positive features related to liminal dimensions of landscape, metaphysical landscapes, and landscape experience. The analysis moves from two main driver-topics: “Landscape” and “History”; employing these two drivers, a first general strategy is designed, to define acupunctural interventions at a later stage. Acupunctural systems – water, roads, mountains, valley, archaeological area, and Sofratikë village - are those landscape and design strategies aimed at identifying specific sub-areas of intervention in the macro landscape unit. In fact, they are independent parts of the landscape, which - if interconnected - allow having an overview of the macro landscape unit. Therefore, the acupuncture interventions become actions of modification and sustainable development of the territory, because of levels of the same landscape unit, or rather of the same milieu. In the order to achieve these aims, the research identifies a specific methodology, focused on Sofratikë landscape’ layers, classifying different stratification layers of the area: archaeological area, historic-settlement, rural and agricultural landscape. A first approach to analyze Sofratikë's landscape is aimed at mapping and – at a later stage - overlapping the main physical layers, which have been defined and distinguished as the following stratification levels: the mountains, Sofratikë city, the quarry, the agricultural fields, Hadrianopoli. Starting from this investigation and after an overall photo screening, a first, possible, general strategy has been outlined, focusing on the identification of two main liminal development directions. Within the first direction, the longitudinal liminality has been analysed, connecting Sofratikë historical and rural city with the archaeological area of Hadrianopoli, through the main physical infrastructure - the national road - and natural systems – agriculture landscape and Drinos River. The second direction highlights the transversal liminality developing the connection between the SofratiKë system (just embedded the historic city, Hadrianopoli, natural, rural and infrastructure systems) with other archaeological sites like Antigonea and Melan. Once this framework has been established, the main acupunctural strategy to achieve the revitalization of this site has been investigated. Four principal clusters have been identified as driver-systems to plan the punctual redevelopment strategy and related following acupunctural activities. These potentials, which characterize the rural and cultural context, are in contrast to real and current area’s conditions, which is mainly abandoned. Therefore, to promote a coherent revitalization of Sofratikë, which could involve the adjacent villages, and to identify appropriate acupunctural actions, it would seem needed improving this first analysis by using the integrated survey approach and procedure. Indeed, this approach can achieve an analytic knowledge of the city system, thorough documentation and data collection ( using different devices and methodologies according to the purposes of the survey). Moreover, this procedure will allow transferring and aggregating the main aspects - “layers”- of the historical, cultural and landscape Heritage using “semantic” models (connecting different information - documentation, plans, historical data, etc. - to survey drawings or models), allowing to increase the landscapes valorisation and the fruition of the whole area. Furthermore, through this methodology, which allows to connect and overlay different levels of data and information, it’s possible to verify the general strategy and, meanwhile, checking and strengthening related acupunctural interventions. The integrated documentation and survey procedures, using a multidisciplinary approach, allows “reading”, analysing and explaining the main layers characterizing this area. In fact, involving in this process many actors with different and specific skills, it is possible to open new research avenues towards the knowledge, understanding, conservation, safeguard, redevelopment and valorisation of the architectural, urban and environmental heritage of the whole Municipality of Dropull