Risorse idriche e ambiente montano: uno studio di caso dalla Val Molinac (TN)

This paper focusses on the use of water in the Alpine uplands, through the case-study of Val Molinac (Val di Sole, Trento, Italy). In this valley, at an elevation of approximately 2100 to 2450 m, a complex system of irrigation canals has been identified during survey campaigns in 2020 and 2021, in the context of project ALPES. Archaeological data have been complemented by GIS and statistical analysis, as well as ethnoarchaeological information provided by local community members. A cluster of canals has been detected on the western slope of Val Molinac. The canals were used for watering a restricted sector of the valley, which was devoted to hay making. Data collected from historical maps and the cadastre indicate that this system was traced prior to 1859. Another water canal, named MZ155C, is found on the eastern slope of the valley. This feature, almost 2.5 km long, carries water from Lago di Ortisé (2445 m) to Malga Bronzolo (2090 m) and was also built before 1859. The data collected and their contextualisation in the Alpine landscape of Val di Sole are useful to understand historical land use and the exploitation of natural resources (such as water and grass), as well as to reconstruct the formation of upland pastoral landscapes in this sector of the Alps.