Pinnettas de pedra: a guide for the valorisation of dry-stone artifacts

Abstract

[EN] The dwelling culture in rural Sardinia presents a wide variety of agropastoral construction. One such example still in use today are the "pinnettas de pedra", huts built entirely of drystone walls and lithic corbelled dome, with a technique common across the Mediterranean area. They are located to the north-west and centre of the island, in the areas of Meilogu, Marghine and Planargia. The analysis was based on cataloguing the artefacts: field research and data processing on a GIS platform identified around 500 pinnettas de pedra in the surveyed area. The work resulted in survey cards detailing the state of these buildings: their characteristics in terms of size and materials and the main factors of degradation and structural failure. The cards describe in detail the masonry, the lithic elements and their arrangement, as well as the construction techniques and the structural concept behind the realisation. Our line of investigation brings to light construction methods that stood the test of time. This construction code, an orally transmitted set of established rules defining the art of building, is a valuable heritage of local technical knowledge. An immaterial resource to study and preserve and pass on to future generations. The research aims to deepen and develop the knowledge needed for the conservation of such buildings by compiling a manual of good practices of intervention that respects the characteristics of the material and construction. The broader goal of promoting the pinnettas de pedra is to promote proper care of the land, reduce the factors of risk and degradation, set the standards for safe fruition for local communities and visitors, thus restoring the bond with these places.