I terrazzamenti viticoli della Costa Viola. Caratteri distintivi del paesaggio, trasformazioni in atto e gestione territoriale in un caso-studio in Calabria

The terraced vineyards of Costa Viola. Distinctive features, change trends and landscape management in a case study in Calabria. The Author presents a case study concerning the historic terraced vineyards of Costa Viola, a coastal area in the South West of Calabria (Italy). The main elements characterizing the landscape are analyzed and discussed in relation to the wider regional context. The subject is seen in a historic perspective and the factors which in the past favoured the realization and development of agricultural terraces in the area are singled out. The landscape of Costa Viola has a high scenic value and today the need to protect and preserve it must go together with the improvement of the economic competitiveness of wine production. A great support can come from agricultural mechanisation which can help reduce the high cost of labour. Public and private initiatives encouraging the maintenance of the dry-stone retaining walls and of the whole terraced system are presented and discussed. Tourism valorisation of the terraced vineyards, appropriate marketing and improvement of the local wines’ intrinsic quality appear as crucial elements in the design of a global strategy to make protection and development match.