Cultivating climate resilience and rediscovering vineyard heritage in a historic mountain territory using innovative strategies and technologies.
The ‘DiWine Path’ Summer School explores how climate change is reshaping agricultural production, transforming mountainous areas into new territories for viticultural experimentation and rural regeneration. Through an integrated, interdisciplinary, and multiscale approach, the programme investigates strategies to enhance and recover fragile historic viticultural landscapes and rural heritage of Valle Maira in Piedmont (Italy).
The activities focus on the opportunities this trend creates for the economic and social reactivation and valorisation of fragile territories, while also helping reduce hydrogeological risk. Innovative technologies, including 3D surveying, mapping methods, and slope stability analysis, will be used as operational tools and to promote holistic approaches to territorial planning and agricultural land management.
Objective
The aim is to design and enhance a hiking trail that symbolically connects the historical features and heritage of the wine landscape with its potential new use.
Dates and locations
- August 24 – 25, 2026, Online lectures
August 31– September 4, 2026, On-site in Elva/Lottulo in Valle Maira (Cuneo, Italy)
The Summer School will be held at the new Polito and Unito headquarters in Elva, at the upper end of the Valle Maira area.
The case study will focus on Lottulo, located in the middle of the Valle Maira.
- September 7, 8, 9, 2026, Online reviews
- September 11, 2026, Online closing session
Programme
August 24, 2026 | Lectures
- Lecture 1: Introduction to the Summer School
- Lecture 2: History of Architecture - Natural Cultural Heritage as a Resource (Cristina Cuneo, Silvia Beltramo, Politecnico di Torino)
- Lecture 3: Geomatics- Rapid mapping methodologies including UAV photogrammetry and laser scanning. AI methods supporting geomatics methods (Antonia Teresa Spanò, Andrea Lingua, Politecnico di Torino)
August 25, 2026 | Lectures
- Lecture 4: Architectural Engineering – Vineyard landscapes and minor rural heritage in Valle Maira (Alessandra Renzulli, Emilia Garda, Politecnico di Torino)
- Lecture 5: Introduction to the pilot area: the Lottulo case study
- Lecture 6: Geotechnics - Analysis of steep slope and terrace stability (Maria Rita Migliazza, Politecnico di Torino)
- Lecture 7: ITLA ITALIA APS – The Italian School of Drystone Walling: teaching the heritage. Opportunities and constraints (Donatella Murtas, Sabine Gennai Schott, International Terraced Landscapes Association)
August 31, 2026 | Lectures and on-site work in Lottulo
- Lecture 8: Introduction to landscape ecology (Klug Herman, Paris Lodron Universität of Salzburg)
- Lecture 9: Climate change and variability: impacts on viticulture (Giovanni Sgubin, Università degli Studi di Palermo)
September 1, 2026 | On-site work in Lottulo
September 2, 2026 | Laboratorial activities
September 3, 2026 | Laboratorial activities
September 4, 2026 | Laboratorial activities
September 5, 2026 | Laboratorial activities and round table with territorial stakeholders
September 7, 8, 9, 2026 | Online support and final project materials review
September 11, 2026 | Online closing session
Who it is intended for
Open to a maximum of 15 participants, including Master’s and PhD students from Italian and international universities.
3 ECTS will be awarded.
Costs
Participation is free of charge. Includes meals and accommodation in Elva, as well as return transfers between Cuneo train station or airport and Elva.
Participants are responsible for arranging and covering their own travel to and from Cuneo.
Application
Each participant must submit their Curriculum Vitae through the link https://forms.gle/WZA7pjLS3a9o3b6B6
Deadlines and further information
Applications must be submitted by June 30, 2026
Acceptance will be confirmed by July 10, 2026
For information: diwinepathsummerschool@gmail.com
Organized by
Politecnico di Torino
Under the patronage of
CIPA Heritage Documentation
SIFET - Società Italiana di Fotogrammetria e Topografia
Supported by
Comune di Elva
Unione Montana Valle Maira
Consorzio Turistico Valle Maira
ITLA ITALIA APS – International Terraced Landscapes Alliance ITALIA
Vignaioli Piemontesi
Espazi Occitani