PAESAGGI A NORD-OVEST. Storie e architetture nei territori delle Alpi Occidentali.

For more than a decade, Italy's inner areas have been at the centre of public, political and academic debate. While research and public policies have produced an extensive body of knowledge and numerous regeneration initiatives, dominant narratives have often relied on homogenising categories that overlook the diversity of local trajectories. This paper proposes territorial specificity as an alternative interpretative framework, understood not only as geographical contiguity but also as the sharing of cultural references, design practices, institutional networks and forms of mutual learning that contribute to the definition of a common design culture. Drawing on the experiences presented during the fifth session of the 27th Villard Seminar (curated by DAD, Politecnico di Torino), the paper examines a constellation of regeneration projects in the Italian Western Alps. Rather than considering these projects as isolated examples, the paper identifies shared attitudes that reveal a distinctive regional approach to architectural transformation. Three recurring principles emerge: adherence to the cultural identity of places; a critical reinterpretation of vernacular architecture that rejects both nostalgic imitation and commodified Alpine imagery; and a close relationship between architectural form and social programmes, where architecture acts as an infrastructure for long-term cultural, economic and community initiatives. The case of Ostana epitomises this approach, showing how the revival of Alpine settlements depends on the convergence of public leadership, civic engagement, academic research and design experimentation. These experiences reveal a situated design culture capable of reconnecting architecture, landscape and collective action, suggesting an alternative framework for understanding and designing the future of mountain territories.