In April 2026, BIA published “Libro de li Prati del Monasterio di Chiaravalle: paths of knowledge and memory of an ancient agrarian landscape through a 1578 manuscript” edited by Andrea L’Erario (Politecnico di Milano, Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering) with graphic design by Studio About.

The volume was created with the aim of restoring value to one of the deepest and least visible components of cultural heritage: the agrarian landscape, understood as the result of historical layering, production practices, and the relationship between humanity and the environment.

The Chiaravalle landscape: 900 years of transformation

The area of the Chiaravalle Abbey represents an emblematic example of the integration between nature, culture, and human labor, the fruit of a territorial transformation carried out by Cistercian monks over nearly nine centuries.

Through the skillful management of water, a central resource in the Milanese context, the “white monks” shaped a productive and sustainable landscape capable of adapting over time without losing its identity. This heritage is not only tangible but also intangible, composed of knowledge, practices, memories, and relationships that still define the territory today.

A 1578 Manuscript as a key to interpretation

At the heart of the publication is the Libro de li Prati del Monasterio di Chiaravalle, a manuscript dating back to 1578 that serves today as a tool for investigation and storytelling.

The volume uses this document as a true “travel journal,” guiding the reader through a landscape that, although transformed, preserves deep traces of its past. This allows us to read the present through the lens of history, restoring continuity to a complex and stratified system.

The connection to the UNESCO candidacy

This publication is part of the broader effort to enhance the Chiaravalle area, a project in which BIA is currently deeply involved.

Commissioned by Municipio 5 of Milan and in collaboration with Bocconi University, BIA conducted a pre-feasibility study between 2024 and 2025 for the area’s inclusion in the UNESCO Tentative List.

The territorial system of Chiaravalle, located within the Parco Agricolo Sud Milano, includes the Abbey and its historic village, farmsteads (cascine), cooperatives, and local organizations. It encompasses sites linked to water management and culture, as well as a widespread heritage of agricultural and social practices, all part of the so-called “Valle dei Monaci“ (Monks’ Valley).

In this scenario, the book stands as a fundamental piece in understanding the cultural and agricultural heritage of the area, which the UNESCO candidacy path aims to promote and protect.

A Landscape that lives on

The landscape of the “Valle dei Monaci” does not belong only to the past; it represents a living system that continues to be part of the daily life of Milan and its inhabitants, maintaining active links between the land, the community, and collective memory.

This publication is an invitation to observe the landscape not just as a physical space, but as a shared cultural heritage to be understood, valued, and passed on to future generations.