Abstract
The question of post-earthquake reconstruction in Italy has become, unfortunately, highly topical in recent years: after earthquakes in the Marche and Molise regions, the major quake of 2009 basically destroyed entire smaller historic towns and the whole city of L'Aquila with its large historic center and rich heritage. The fundamental question is whether reconstruction of buildings can reject the anachronistic slogan of "where it was and as it was" while balancing the needs to restart socio-economic dynamics and to respect social fabric and building traditions. The research presented here was a rare opportunity for integrated management of the process, in which researchers were able to share responsibilities and operation of both major phases of the project process. In particular, Montebello di Bertona, in the Abruzzo region, was one of seven municipalities included in a Research Project that was structured as an important survey but also as an integrated process leading from the survey to the project.