Toponymy of the Vallombrosa Forest. The history of the territory for understanding ecosystem dynamics and for land planning

Abstract

Toponymy, which is constantly evolving with time, is an expression of the rural world life and of the complex relationships that have linked and still link humans to the territory. Enhancing the use of toponymy during the planning phase can help the land planner, but also the district manager can understand the reality of the complex environment and the characteristics of the dynamics taking place. Using the historical archives and available oral sources, the toponymy of the historic Vallombrosa forest was explored. The many collected data were georeferenced and the subsequent elaboration allowed, among other things, the creation of the map of today’s toponymy and the map of the silver fir stands present in the Forest in 1845.