«Nulla muore di ciò che ha vissuto». Ripensare i borghi abbandonati ripercorrendo il pensiero di John Ruskin

The influence of John Ruskin’s thought in the 20th century culture begs the question: is it still able to illuminate the complexity of the world and to reveal its future fundamental values? This question leads us to re-read his writings to find out if they can be an indispensable ref- erence for the current restoration discipline, settling into the problems of the new millen- nium. One of these concerns abandoned villages, on which this contribution intends to re- flect. Socio-economic and cultural consequences depending on it guided the disciplinary debate towards the identification of actions capable of arresting or reversing the depopu- lation phenomena. However, it is essential to consider if a conservation act of these aban- doned places is appropriate and what is the right way of preserving architectures from de- cay and assault of nature. This study welcomes the Ruskin’s exhortation to recognise the tes- timonial and cultural values of these depopulated places, through the “poetry of Architec- ture” and under the light of the “seven lamps”. Furthermore, their progressive ‘ruderizzazi- one’ refers to key-concepts of Ruskin thought, which leads us to figure out traces and signs, inside the architectures, able to build renewed forms of ‘vitality’. The aim is to underline the need to preserve the materiality of abandoned sites, according to the Ruskinian assertion that the preservation of the beauty of the works of man and nature is the necessary condi- tion to achieve the best quality of life.