Valle Millecampi e i casoni della Laguna sud di Venezia

Reconstructions of settlement dynamics across the millennia have traditionally considered the southern lagoon of Venice of marginal interest compared to the northern sector. Nevertheless, this area—delimited to the north by Campagna Lupia, Valle Averto, and the Alberoni inlet, and to the south by Codevigo, Valle Millecampi, the Boschettona shoreline, and the Pellestrina inlet—has been involved in both natural and anthropogenic geomorphological processes, and has hosted human activity, animals, objects, and knowledge. In particular, Millecampi—whose toponym and hydronym encapsulate an extra ordinary historical and evolutionary palimpsest—emerges as an exemplary context for a targeted investigation of the southern Venetian lagoon. This research has a dual aim. On one hand, it presents historical, archaeological, and documentary data concerning the settlement patterns and land-use practices of Millecampi, understood not merely as a body of water but as a complex topographical system that has developed over millennia and undergone significant transformations, particularly around the (recent and misleading) intervention known as the Taglio del Novissimo. On the other hand, the study provides a detailed census and mapping of the casoni di barena (traditional lagoon houses), which, unlike in other lagoon contexts such as Caorle where they have been carefully analyzed, have largely been overlooked in this area. For this reason, the research also entailed eldwork conducted by boat to reach certain dilapidated casoni, which were subjected to a photogrammetric survey. Combined with a careful study of historical cartography, this has enabled the reconstruction of the original architectural development of the area. The archaeological and archival data available depict a succession of modes of inhabiting the southern Lagoon—ranging from buildings and infrastructure for daily use, to land reclamation, cultivation, and animal husbandry—followed by the emergence of new economic and settlement activities such as valliculture (fish farming), shing, and hunting. ese data allow us to trace human adaptation to this amphibious environment in ways that enabled habitation and sustenance. At the same time, cross-referencing with historical-architectural and topographical analyses allows us to chart the evolution of a characteristic architectural form—the casone—in this context: from recent design solutions for the reconstruction of the Casone Millecampi to new interpretations that may guide future restoration and conservation e orts for other now-ruined structures. The focus of this research thus fosters a fruitful synergy among diverse elds of knowledge, necessary for envisioning and designing new strategies for the protection and enhancement of the Venetian lagoon.