Archaeological heritage and anthropized contexts: limits and opportunities

The highly stratified nature of Mediterranean cities, if on the one hand contrib­utes to the construction of an image with remarkable historical and artistic val­ues, on the other it makes their reading and understanding more complex. The relationship between archaeology and the context, especially urban, has many variables and problems related both to the mode of use of the user/citizen as well as the need for transformation and growth of the city itself. Archaeological heritage is not a sort of “reserve” that is separated from the context. On the contrary, it is necessary to work to reduce the gap that often exists between everyday reality and the reality of the asset, the result of years of isolation policies. This contribution, from the research-project experiences matured by the author, proposes an hypothesis of “enriched” path in which cultural heritage, in particu­lar archaeological, are put to system with the context of belonging. The sustainable use of cultural resources and the concept of “selecting” the most significant goods in relation to the path to be realized, are the main ideas of the proposed considerations as well as Accessibility, comfort and safety concepts of the visit are the strategic points of a fruition project to be devel­oped starting from the user’s needs and in com­pliance with the environmental and technological compatibility of the asset to be protected.