Cultural landscape: Towards the design of a nocturnal lightscape

The current debate on the cultural landscape is focused on an inclusive definition. It proposes active enhancement practices and local planning tools that are also dedicated to the study of scenic-perceptive components and visual values. However, the current indications are limited to the definition of day images of sites, and are not based on investigations of the corresponding nocturnal images. The legislation and the recommendations in force in the field of lighting supply performance requirements, related to street and urban lighting, do not provide any indications regarding territorial contexts or widespread heritage sites. This paper presents a critical analysis of the lighting condition of different territorial contexts, places of widespread heritage, in particular with reference to the Italian context. The present situation has been investigated through a qualitative analysis, based on a comparison between day and night images, and a quantitative analysis, developed through a measurement campaign on representative case studies of the recurrent territorial context. In most cases, an absence of a specific lighting design strategy, aimed at defining a suitable nocturnal perception of the cultural landscape, has emerged from the collected data. The aim of the work has been to underline the importance of the study of nocturnal images and to show the possibility of developing an analysis and design methodology for these contexts. This approach should be based on a systemic vision, which should allow not only single monuments to be valorised, but also the places and landscapes that characterise a territory from a morphological and cultural point of view.