THE CASE OF THE EARTH

The earthen houses in Casalincontrada are traditional in most parts of the Province of Chieti, Pescara and Teramo. They became popular in the first half of the 19th century when there was a important division in the classic powerstructures. This divide called for an increase in the demand for colonial houses. In order to meet this demand at minimum cost building in earth and straw was implemented, these materials being readily available at the time. Nowadays earthen houses are isolated phenomena in the Abruzzean landscape. CeDTerra (Centro di Documentazione permanente sulle case di Terra Cruda – www.casediterra.com) wants to care for and valorise these silent witnesses to farm life as cultural and tourist elements but also to restart their use as live-in houses. This is the case for Borgocapo.

IL PARCO DELLA TERRA - Le terre dell’Alento (The Earth Park)

The idea to promote the constitution of the Cultural Park on Earth was to link the earthen houses to anthropological elements in a territory known as the Alento Valley. That is where the name Le terre dell’Alento (lands of the Alento) comes from and was taken from the novel Le terre dell’Alentejo di José Saramago. The Alento River has its source in Serramonacesca, in the heart of the Parco Nazionale della Majella (National Park of the Maiella) and flows through the municipalitie of Francavilla al Mare (Ch), Ripa Teatina (Ch), Torrevecchia Teatina (Ch), Chieti, Bucchianico (Ch), Casalincontrada (Ch), Roccamontepiano (Ch),  Fara Filiorum Petri (Ch), Serramonacesca (PE).

The brochure provides useful information for a first approach to the territory of Casalincontrada and Roccamontepiano. In this territory, see also the maps.

Photo taken from international competitions “Le case di terra paesaggio di architettura“.

Di Nisio – Schiamazzi sull’aia

Marco Numerati – House 27

Luciano Torrieri – il cavocozzo

Nadia Di Campli – case di sera

G. Cannoni – ST2 Casalincontrada

Beradinucci M. – la balconata

Cellini F. – c’era una volta

“dalla strada statale 81, da chieti a casalincontrada” di Francesca Betti