Dry stone walls

The guiding principle is care

The technique of dry stone walling has been handed down for generations. It involves choosing the right stones and fitting them together with small chips of rock sandwiched between each one. Then, layer by layer, the wall is built, with the thickness and height of each layer defined by years of experience. Yet the secret that allows them to endure, to become eternal, is care. 

Building a dry stone wall is a promise to look after it, fix and care for it forever. You return to check on it, fixing fallen stones and removing invasive ivy and moss, while also allowing plants to grow — precious friends to the many small animals that find shelter in the crevices between the stones. It is the story of a constant, ongoing relationship. It is a love that is not based on heroic gestures. It is based on the daily attention of those who work and live in the mountains.

Walking among the dry stone walls, photographing them or simply noticing them is a way of becoming part of this story. It is a way of saying, 'Yes, I am here too, taking care of this land where beauty, hard work, courage and responsibility go hand in hand.'

The pastini terracing

'They call it heroic agriculture, but we are not heroes. We are farmers. And a farmer knows that you need horizontal soil to cultivate. We only have sharp mountains, so we thought let's build a giant ladder, and on each step we'll plant vines, tomatoes, apple trees and potatoes. There's no need to be heroes; you just need to roll up your sleeves.' The grandparents joke. They are telling the story of the hard work that has created kilometres upon kilometres of terraces on the steep Alpine slopes. Each terrace is supported by dry stone walls, containers of earth and memory that are willing to hold in balance a landscape built with hard work and respect. From a distance, they really do look like giants' stairs, undulating and shaded by the mist of dawn, lush with plants and fruit.

With its more than 700 kilometres of dry stone walls, the Val di Cembra is one of the prime examples of this incredible adaptation strategy. The mountain becomes a vertical garden, perfumed by acres of vines. The terraces here, as in Val di Non, are called pastini, a dialect term probably derived from the Latin pastinum, an agricultural tool similar to a pickaxe used to till the soil. 

Aware of the immense cultural, landscape and ecological value of this rural architecture, the local community has decided not to let time erase centuries of knowledge and effort. Alongside the work of farmers, there are now volunteers, associations and public bodies. There are many initiatives: cultural routes, training courses for schools and tourists, and networks of family wineries, such as Cembrani DOC, which collaborate to promote the area, its people and its produce. The pastini's architecture, agriculture and culture are a legacy and a choice for the future.

Construction, ecology and soil fertility

At first glance, dry stone walls appear to be merely functional: they hold up land, contain slopes and mark out fields. However, these walls also unite agriculture, landscape, biodiversity and local culture. They are miniature ecosystems where humans and nature coexist and support each other: insects, reptiles and amphibians find shelter in these safe microhabitats, which they help to keep clean and alive. 

Drystone walls contain soil without sealing it, playing a key role in preventing landslides and erosion. By retaining moisture in an environment increasingly affected by global warming, they also create microclimatic conditions that help to combat drought and protect agriculture.

A technology-forward future

The history of dry stone walls continues to evolve. In 2013, the Accademia della Montagna established the Scuola Trentina della Pietra a Secco (Trentino School of Dry Stone Walling), offering practical courses and qualifications to train professionals, craftsmen, and rural operators dedicated to the restoration and maintenance of these structures. 

Thanks to collaborations with Fondazione Mach, the Comunità di Valle and the Provinces, ancient knowledge is now complemented by advanced digital techniques, such as the use of drones, GIS and satellite mapping to monitor the stability and degradation of walls. Provincial tenders and support programmes for farmers restoring dry stone walls demonstrate institutional commitment to sustainable agriculture and biodiversity protection, while portable educational kits such as the 'Petra Box' promote education in schools and communities by combining practical manual skills with computer technology. 

In the era of climate-smart agriculture, dry stone walls are confirmed as symbols of resilience, demonstrating how modern technologies can strengthen and enhance traditional knowledge to proactively address the challenges of today. 

An existential model

I am here. This is what a well-maintained dry stone wall says. It is a living legacy and a sign of a cohabited landscape — a land that has been lived in and has never been abandoned. 

In 2018, UNESCO recognised the art of dry stone walling as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In Trentino, this recognition celebrates the past and motivates the present. In a world that is hurtling ever faster towards disposable consumption, where everything lasts as long as a click or a passing trend, these balanced stones, linked to each other and to the world of which they are a part, remind us of the strength that bonds can have. They invite us to slow down, to care and to build only what we can nurture with constant love. 

In a society that often celebrates things that are short-lived and replaceable, dry stone walls symbolise resistance, harmony between human beings and nature, and harmony with the earth's rhythms.

They embrace slowness not as a limitation, but as a resource. It is a way of life that recognises the value of patience and care. These stones speak of alliances and possibilities, of passion and ingenuity. They remind us that an act of love is only worthwhile if it is repeated over time in a continuously renewed ritual made of simplicity and tenacity.