“La valle del fiume Amaseno. Fonti geostoriche per la conoscenza del territorio e per la sua valorizzazione”
by Sara Carallo
GREAL is pleased to announce the publication of a new volume in the Geographica series, published by IF Press. Titled “The Valley of the Amaseno River. Geohistorical Sources for Territorial Knowledge and Enhancement”, and authored by Sara Carallo, the book offers an in-depth and original analysis of the Amaseno River Valley, a territory located between the provinces of Latina and Frosinone in central Italy.
Adopting a geohistorical and systemic approach, the author reconstructs the evolution of the landscape by highlighting the complex web of interactions between environment and society over time. The book spans a long and layered history, from the pre-Roman Latium to the contemporary era, and is based on a rich body of historical, cartographic, and oral sources.
Particularly noteworthy is the integration of participatory practices, which actively involved local communities in a shared process of understanding and enhancing the territory.
What emerges is a portrait of an area affected today by depopulation and socioeconomic fragility, yet rich in cultural and environmental potential. The research goes beyond mere historical analysis, proposing future-oriented strategies for sustainable development. Carallo promotes a vision rooted in slow travel, cultural itineraries, and responsible tourism—tools that can activate local energies and strengthen the sense of place among communities.
Technological tools such as GIS and the creation of a cultural geoportal turn collected data into valuable resources for interpreting, managing, and regenerating the territory. In this perspective, the Amaseno Valley becomes an open-air laboratory, a concrete example of how geohistorical knowledge can inform care for the landscape and foster models of participatory governance that may be replicated in other marginal areas.
The volume is available on the IF Press website, also in open access format, at the following link:
https://www.if-press.it/index.php/home/catalog/book/17
About the Author
Sara Carallo is a researcher in Geography at Roma Tre University, where she teaches Human Geography and GIS and Cultural Heritage Lab. Her research focuses on local development processes, particularly in inner areas, and on participatory forms of territorial valorization that involve direct engagement with local communities. Place stewardship and active care for the land are central to her vision of sustainable and conscious planning.
Among her most relevant projects is the design of the “Cammino della Regina Camilla” (“Path of Queen Camilla”), a 185 km cultural route in southern Lazio created in collaboration with the local association A piedi liberi and with stakeholders in the Amaseno Valley.
Carallo is also involved in the “Regional Network of Transhumance Trails,” launched in 2021 by the Italian Geographical Society, which aims to connect and enhance initiatives related to soft mobility and the memory of rural landscapes.