Abstract
Although after an earthquake territory appears less damaged than the built environment, the focus on reconstruction of buildings fails to address the essential role of the broader landscape. Taking the small Umbrian town of Norcia as a case study, this chapter looks at institutional and personal perceptions of the material and immaterial, and at the close links between urban and rural heritage. Stakeholder interviews reveal the vast intangible repertoire of heritage comprising local food production practices, local knowledges, traditions, religious practices and a way of life linked to the surrounding territory. Landscape was considered by the inhabitants of Norcia as a source of identity damaged more by management of the reconstruction process than by the earthquake itself, and threatened by the locating of temporary accommodation, and of shopping centres to replace damaged commercial spaces. This chapter proposes a rethinking of the model of reconstruction, using landscape as a driver for resilience, protecting it to create a circular sustainable economy combining local knowledge and practices with the richness of the territory.