The conservation of cultural heritage in rural areas: Stakeholder preferences regarding historical rural buildings in Apulia, southern Italy

Rural cultural heritage deserves preservation for local communities and future generations. One important component of this heritage consists of historical rural buildings, which are repositories of ancient cultures, knowledge and lifestyles. However, in recent decades many have been abandoned by their owners, and are now in danger of disappearing completely. In order to help policy makers in identifying suitable conservation strategies, this study intends to investigate the attitude of different categories of stakeholders (owners and the community) to collaborative approaches for the conservation of the most representative type of historical rural building in Apulia, southern Italy, i.e. the masseria. The results of the survey regarding owners' preferences highlight that masserias in intensive and underdeveloped rural areas are seriously threatened either by oblivion or by restoration work that may actually damage these structures. On the other hand, intermediate rural areas have the best conditions for the long-term sustainable preservation of masserias. In addition, the community has a general interest in the conservation of these structures and in their use. Furthermore, tourism operators are willing to create joint ventures with masseria owners to ensure successful conservation and management strategies.