Los molinos del valle del rio Aterno: levantamiento y restauracion

The paper refers to a research in progress on the survey and restoration project of the watermills built in the Aterno river valley. The Aterno river spings in the Laga mountains close to the village of Montereale, in the Gran Sasso Laga National Park at an altitude of about l 00 meters asl. and flows into the Pescara River after crossing 70 Km of land, at an altitude of about 250 m. asl. Its water was a great source of energy for the people livingnearby its flow and gave a great contribution to the development of the area. Since the Renaissance ti me, according with the organization of the agriculture and with the politica! and economie situation was built along the river a long sequence of watermills intended to sustain and improve the farmers conditions, but also to tax the agricultural population. The river crosses two main landscape units: the forest and mountain one and the plateaux in the narrow valleys of the ancient geologica! lakes. In this context the small canal system of the hydraulic plants was intended not only to bring water to the milis but also to obtain a greater portion of irrigated Jand. From the late nineteenth century onwards, with the introduction of electric moti ve power, water milis were gradually abandoned. Now only very few of them are stili active while those that not has been damaged by the abandonment were destroyed in the 2009 by the earthquake. The paper illustrates how the survey ofthe watermills, together with its canals and hydraulic plants, can clarify the social and economie situation of this land and why a policy of restoration as a cultura! heritage has to be pursued.