The representation of the ruins between landscape, matter and digital survey: S. Maria della Misericordia church in Mompilieri (Ct)

The development of human settlements on the slopes of Etna is closely linked to the volcanic landscape and the often catastrophic events that have marked its history. The study presented here is based on an analysis of the Etnean landscape and, in particular, of the network of relations between Etna and the ruins of the rural church dedicated to the Madonna della Misericordia in Mompilieri. The analysis includes a study of the ecological-environmental, patrimonial and territorial features of the landscape, as well as a narration of the artistic and symbolic representations that express the gaze of communities on places over time. Through the landscape reinterpretation of the territory, the aim is to identify system of relations that are now hidden, to be enhanced and revealed. In this way, the project produces new relational common assets, giving the identity features of the landscape the ability to qualify the life frameworks of populations in a long-term perspective. This is the context within which the design reflection on the Misericordia church arises. It aims to enhance the value of the ancient remains not only as architectural artefacts in themselves, but as pieces of a wider set of environmental and cultural assets. At the architectural scale, digital survey, technological analysis and virtual reconstruction form the basis for a new narrative which is capable of giving new life to the ruins and the memory of places.