Stone artifacts of the Sicilian mountain landscape: a cultural heritage to be protected

Neviere are stone buildings, likely built between the mid 1600s and early 1700s, found in several rural sites surrounding Mount Lauro. These structures are a testament to the sophistication of ancient construction techniques, and must be protected due to their recognized role in maintaining biodiversity, and their importance both as cultural testimonies and as defining features of this landscape. Today, the neverie are in state of neglect, and are gradually disappearing due to the absence of crops and the conversion of agricultural land into construction areas. This study is among the scoping activities solicited by the European Landscape Convention (ELC). This paper reports the results of a survey carried out in Buccheri, a town situated in the mountain area of Syracuse, characterised by a high concentration of "neviere" of particular architectural merit. This investigation availed itself of historical documents, census files, and field research, all of which pointed to the historical, cultural and panoramic value of these edifices, which urgently calls for adequate public intervention.