Knowledge-Based Regeneration of At-Risk Italian Historic Villages: A Process-Oriented Framework for the Recovery of the Existing Building Heritage.

The abandonment of minor historical villages represents one of the most critical challenges for the conservation of Italy’s widespread built heritage. These settlements, characterized by stratified construction systems and strong relationships between architecture, landscape, and local culture, are increasingly exposed to material decay, structural vulnerability, and loss of social function. Addressing such complexity requires moving beyond isolated restoration projects toward structured and replicable conservation methodologies. This paper proposes a conservation-oriented methodological workflow for the regeneration of historical abandoned or at risk of abandonment Italian villages. Grounded in Italian restoration theory and architectural engineering practice, the workflow articulates a sequence of interconnected phases: contextual and historical analysis, multi-scale survey and diagnostics, conservation-compatible structural assessment, definition of intervention criteria, and development of compatible reuse scenarios. Rather than prescribing predefined technical solutions, the methodology emphasizes knowledge-based decision-making and adaptability to different territorial and typological conditions. The workflow is validated through its application to a representative Italian historic village, located in Valdichiana Senese, Tuscany. The case study demonstrates the effectiveness of the approach in integrating conservation principles, structural safety, and functional reactivation within a coherent process. Finally, the paper discusses the replicability of the methodology at the national scale, identifying decision criteria, limits, and governance challenges. The research contributes to architectural engineering approaches to heritage conservation by advancing a processbased framework for the restoration, conservation, and enhancement of existing building heritage in minor historical settlements.