Conoscenza e conservazione del patrimonio architettonico rurale della Valchiusella e di Rueglio (Piemonte). Lo studio dell’abitato storico e il recupero di Ka’ D-Mezanis

The opening of the restoration construction site of a stately home in Rueglio, settlement in the Valchiusella area between Ivrea and the southern part of the Valle d'Aosta, made possible the inauguration of a research project on rural and mountain architecture conducted in recent years by a research group from the Politecnico di Torino under the scientific direction of Silvia Beltramo. The restoration works on Ka' D-Mezanis, completed in 2018 and carried out with a careful conservative approach that allowed to recover the constructive and decorative elements of the house, also constituted a moment of reflection on knowledge of the cultural heritage for the community and the public administration. The need to deep the studies on historical tissue of the settlement, in order to convey the possibility of careful and sustainable renovation in relation to economic resources and preserved architecture, emerged clearly. The research project was articulated along the following main topics: the critical analysis of the building techniques and materials of Ka' D-Mezanis, so as to constitute the reference case study; the detailed survey of the masonry through the stratigraphic analysis of the architecture; the study of buildings with similar constructive and formal solutions in Valchiusella territory; the cataloguing of the historical urban landscape of the municipality of Rueglio by investigating functions and construction techniques with the definition of a masonry abacus. The results of the ongoing research are presented to the scientific community as a starting point for common reflection to direct further development of the study and to open up international collaborations.