Syntactic units of the vernacular language in the construction of the anthropized landscape of the Amalfi coast

The extensive sectoral literature testifies the interest of scholars for the Sorrento-Amalfi Peninsula’s historic heritage. Starting with the first research, which began over two centuries ago, the peninsula image emerges mainly based on studies and consolidated historical concepts. This image is burdened by the historiographical background, the inherited scientific facts, or the data arising from several approaches. However, only rare studies take into account the reality of the territory, its orography, and, above all, how the anthropized activity contributed to the construction of the reality of landscape architecture. Therefore, the paper aims to present some results of the research conducted by the author on local construction techniques, using them as integral elements of a synthesis with broader outlines for the documentation of the material culture of a civilization that was able to make wise use of techniques, including sailors’ ones, to shape the territory between sea and mountains. It is thus intended to identify, analyze and interpret the characters of this spontaneous language, that is to carry out a real hermeneutic work which, based on the research activity in the field of landscape architecture, moves its steps from the phrases used for the writing of landscape on the Amalfi coast. Two autonomous syntactic units address the Amalfi coast’s vernacular language: terraces and extrados structures, such as apses and vaulted houses. The structure of the anthropized landscape is supported by agricultural terraces, consisting of a dry stone wall (i.e., macere, according to the local idiom), which helped expand or create from scratch the areas to be cultivated (i.e., piazzole). The use of the dry stone technique to lay the retaining walls ensured natural support and adequate natural drainage to prevent the collapse of the garden above. This is the main reason why the use of the excellent local mortar was avoided, which instead assumed a fundamental role in the extrados structures. The spontaneous vaulted buildings are chronologically linked to the development of the terraced landscape. They are represented by the elongated building type, internally divided into two levels communicating via an external staircase, with the rear part leaning to the terrace wall for the first story’s entire height. The roof is arranged into a lapilli vault, which, depending on the type, leads the building back to a specific chronological phase. The barrel vault is the oldest solution directly derived from the examples of late Roman times. The same constructive wisdom is found in the elevation of apsidal structures, which, in a territory subject to strong earthquakes, also perform in terms of form the contrast to the rest of the building's horizontal thrusts.