Riscoprire il massiccio per riattualizzare il concetto di montagna-città

The contribution examines the loss of geo-historical memory in Italian mountain territories and questions the long-standing interpretation of mountains as valley-based, isolated systems. Focusing on Lombard alpine contexts, the paper proposes the orographic massif as an alternative interpretative framework, emphasizing the historical reticularity of mountain territories and their role as organizing poles of social, economic, and cultural relations. Through the case study of the Orobie massif, developed within the PRIN 2022 project Governance for Mountain Reticularity, the research highlights how mountain development historically relied on interconnected networks structured around ridges rather than valleys. The analysis of medieval Bergamasque blacksmiths operating in the Valtellina area illustrates the existence of a widespread and interdependent mountain economy based on shared resources and specialized knowledge. Reframing the mountain as a reticular and relational system allows for a renewed understanding of internal socio-economic potentials and supports the reactivation of the mountain–city relationship in contemporary territorial governance.