AN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PATH VIA FIELD INVESTIGATIONS IN ALTA MURGIA PARK (SOUTHERN ITALY) FOR RESTORATION PROJECT METHODS IN RURAL VALORIZATION

The paper presents the educational methodology employed in the fourth-year Restoration course, within the Architecture degree program, focusing on experiential learning through field surveys to enhance low-influence areas in the Alta Murgia Park (Apulia, Southern Italy). Students conducted comprehensive mappings of identity-defining landscape elements—such as dry stone walls, and historic farmhouses— to identify opportunities for new trails, repurposing of structures, and sustainable development. The hands-on fieldwork bridged theoretical restoration principles with professional architectural practice, fostering direct engagement with real-world contexts. The course was composed by different parts: the first one is the "discovery phase", in other words: a survey stage focused on the field-work; in this phase the students have to identify the routes in the field to physically understand the issues relating to the structure, traversal, provision of services and the actual accessibility of the sites, including material issues, such as the actual maintenance and accessibility of the sites. The second part, through the "ex-cathedra" lessons and the workshop-guided projects, helps students learn how to transform direct analysis into design instruments for the landscape value implementation and the sustainability of the transformation. Collaborative Turning Point: The activity has been coordinated through a Framework Agreement with the Park Authority and the Bari Polytechnic, Department of Architecture, Construction and Design. The three-year initiative aims is to yield a complete trail network inventory and a strategic plan for future implementations. The first results underscore the efficacy of field-based teaching in cultivating skilled professionals attuned to cultural heritage preservation and territorial enhancement.