Allegrini and the Art of Dry Stone Walls: A Course to Preserve the Landscape
Allegrini once again confirms its role as a leader in preserving traditions and sustainability, actively working to safeguard the art of dry stone walling. This year, the company sponsored the 5th edition of the dry stone wall restoration course, held in Fumane, thanks to the Habitat association in collaboration with the San Zeno Salesian Institute and the ITLA Foundation (International Terraced Landscapes Alliance). This course is a fundamental initiative for passing on a traditional practice — which is both an art and an ecological solution — to new generations and people of all ages.
The concept of landscape is far more complex than it might initially seem. On one hand, it evokes an almost poetic image of a wild, untouched environment, now confined to remote areas of the planet. On the other hand, it appears as a reality closer to us, deeply shaped by human intervention.
Among the key figures in shaping the landscape are winemakers, who have transformed hills to adapt them for viticulture by designing hydraulic-agrarian systems with a dual purpose: to facilitate agricultural operations, ensuring the safety of workers, and to prevent soil erosion and resource depletion on slopes.
These insights are by no means new but constitute a legacy passed down through centuries, proving even more relevant today, especially in combating climate change.
Among the traditional methods, often threatened by neglect or the adoption of seemingly more “economical” solutions in terms of time and labor, dry stone walls stand out. Known locally as “marogne”, these walls are built by cutting and assembling blocks of stone without using mortar or other binding agents, a characteristic that gives them the name “dry.”
This traditional technique is not only aesthetically valuable but plays a crucial role environmentally and agriculturally. Dry stone walls serve as biological corridors, providing refuge and habitat for many species of flora and fauna, and function as water flow regulators. They retain soil, preserving the moisture necessary for crops, and slow down the flow of rainwater. As water seeps through the gaps between the stones, it is naturally filtered, leaving sediments behind in the terraces, preventing their transport downhill, and reducing erosion.
These walls represent an example of traditional ecological engineering, whose effectiveness remains fundamental to the sustainable management of rural landscapes today.
The primary goal is to pass on this technique within a vision of agro-biological land management, contributing to the enhancement of rural landscapes and the protection of the environment. A notable example of this commitment can be seen in the Villa Cavarena vineyard, where dry stone walls not only maintain their practical function but also blend harmoniously into the landscape, enriching it both aesthetically and environmentally.