PELLETTIERI ANTONELLA1; CORRADO MARCELLO2

The research deals with the study of three abandoned watermills, found near the village of Sant’Angelo le Fratte (Italy), in which the technology behind the functioning of hydraulic machines appear to be an original interpretation of the mechanisms represented in historical treatises. The work is part of a research project called MenSALe – Historical and Artistic Canteens of Lucania (a PO-FESR 2007-2013 project, financed by Basilicata Region, developed in IBAM-CNR, Institute for Archaeological and Monumental Heritage of the National Research Council of Italy) for the restoration of stories and representations of regional food culture in Lucania. Through the survey of the existing and a series of comparative hypothesis with the models set out in the works of treatises such as Francesco di Giorgio Martini, it tends to a deep knowledge of the site for an organic restoration project with a consequent action aimed at the development of the entire area.

Keywords: MenSALe, Basilicata, Watermills, Hydraulic Machines, Historical treatises of architecture and engineering, Restoration, Enhancement.