Tradition and semantics: the case of Aeolian architecture

Abstract

Vernacular architecture is identified as a structure based on specific local needs, on the presence of building materials present in the place and on the extemporaneousness of the architecture, built according to structural dogmas based on the local construction tradition. This is confirmed by the etymology of the word ‘vernacular’, from the Latin “vernaculus”, meaning "indigenous, domestic", or from “verna”, that is "native slave". In the present, vernacular architecture takes on new meanings, often used as an identifier for popular architecture - as also stated by Allen Noble in "Traditional Buildings: A global Survey of Structural Forms and Cultural Functions" of 2007 - or rather structures belonging to common people but «That can be built by skilled professionals, using local and traditional designs and materials», which is also supported by the Oxford English Dictionary. It is in this context that the vernacular Aeolian architecture fits, which significantly and identically characterize the entire territory of the Aeolian Islands, awarded the title of World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Aeolian architecture is inextricably linked to the history of the invasions of different peoples that have taken place in this area, such as the Greek-Roman, Islamic and finally Campania influences, due to their modifications both from an urbanistic and compositional point of view. But today how is it possible to encourage the dissemination and knowledge of these architectures which are so identifying for the Sicilian territory? Cataloging and semantics are configured as fundamental actions for the analysis and use of the architectural heritage, broken down into its deepest formal and compositional characteristics, identifiable in Aeolian architecture through the identification of semantics with a peculiar nomenclature. This article therefore investigates the aspects of semantics applied to traditional language and the compositional characteristics of Aeolian architecture, treated as an indissoluble link of knowledge and analysis of the building, through possible uses of digital applications.