Dry-Stone Walls (Muri a Secco): UNESCO Rules for Restoration in Ragusa

By Arch. Fabio Costanzo, Studio 4e · Updated: March 2026

The Iblean plateau (Ragusa, Modica, Chiaramonte Gulfi, Giarratana) has one of the densest concentrations of dry-stone wall (muri a secco) agricultural landscapes in the Mediterranean. These walls define field boundaries, control erosion, and create the terraced topography that makes the Val di Noto countryside distinctive. In 2018, the Art of Dry Stone Walling was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list — which affects how these walls can legally be restored.

Why dry-stone walls matter more than they look

Muri a secco — walls built from local stone without mortar, using traditional stacking techniques — are not merely decorative. They perform essential agricultural and hydrological functions in the Iblean territory:

• Soil retention: on slopes, dry-stone terraces hold the thin Iblean soil in place. Where walls collapse, soil erodes rapidly — sometimes metres of accumulated agricultural soil lost in a single rainstorm. Abandoned farmland with collapsed walls in the Ragusa hinterland shows clearly visible gully erosion within 10–15 years of wall failure.
• Water management: walls slow surface runoff, allowing rainfall to infiltrate rather than running off. This is critical in the Sicilian semi-arid climate where summer drought and winter storms alternate. A well-maintained terraced landscape holds water; a degraded one runs it straight to the sea.
• Biodiversity: wall crevices host specific plants (erba parete, origano selvatico, several orchid species) and reptiles (geco comune, lucertola campestre) that are dependent on this microhabitat. The Piano del Paesaggio Rurale della Sicilia (Regional Rural Landscape Plan) identifies muri a secco as a protected landscape element.

When buying agricultural land in the Ragusa area, the condition of the muri a secco is a significant due diligence item — not because the walls have independent commercial value, but because collapsed walls indicate drainage problems, soil loss, and potentially years of remediation costs before the land is agriculturally productive or aesthetically valuable.

The UNESCO intangible heritage inscription and what it changes legally

The 2018 UNESCO inscription of "the Art of Dry Stone Walling" (covering eight European countries including Italy) is an intangible cultural heritage designation — it protects the knowledge and practice of dry-stone wall building, not the walls themselves as physical monuments. This is different from a tangible heritage vincolo (which protects a specific structure).

However, the inscription has been used by Italian regional authorities to justify regulatory requirements for dry-stone restoration techniques. In Sicily, the Piano Paesaggistico Regionale (PPR) requires that dry-stone walls within designated agricultural landscape zones be restored using traditional techniques (pietre locali, posa a secco senza malta) rather than with cement pointing or modern materials. Using cement to rebuild or repoint a dry-stone wall in a PPR-protected agricultural landscape is a planning violation, even though the wall itself is not individually listed.

Where the rules apply in Ragusa province

The relevant protections in Ragusa province apply in overlapping zones:

• Ambito di Paesaggio 17 (PPR): the Iblean plateau ambito of the Piano Paesaggistico Regionale, which covers most of Ragusa province. Within this ambito, traditional agricultural landscapes including muri a secco are designated as landscape elements to be conserved.
• UNESCO Val di Noto buffer zones: the agricultural hinterland around Ragusa Ibla, Modica, and Noto falls within the UNESCO buffer zones. Agricultural landscape restoration within these zones falls under the same OUV protection requirements that apply to architectural restoration.
• SIC (Siti di Interesse Comunitario) and ZPS zones: several Natura 2000 protected areas in the Ragusa hinterland (ITA080007 Valle del Fiume Irminio, ITA080008 Biviere e Macconi di Gela) overlap with areas of intensive dry-stone wall concentration. Within SIC and ZPS zones, works affecting the landscape structure (including wall restoration) require a Valutazione di Incidenza (VINCA) assessment before works start.

Traditional restoration technique: what it means in practice

A correctly restored muro a secco in the Iblean tradition:

1. Decostruire e ricostruire (disassemble and rebuild): the collapsed section is carefully dismantled, stones sorted by size and shape, and the foundation course relevelled before rebuilding. Not patched over or reinforced with cement.
2. Local stone only: the Iblean limestone (calcarenite bioclastica, locally called "pietra di Comiso" or "pietra di Ragusa") must be used. Importing concrete block or limestone from other regions is not accepted in protected zones. Stone from the field itself — already on site — is typically used for repairs.
3. Traditional bonding: the outer face stones (paramenti) are laid with headers and stretchers alternating (tessitura tradizionale). The core is filled with smaller stone chips (boccioloni) packed tightly. No soil, sand, or mortar filler.
4. Capping (cappello): the top course uses flat stones (pietre di cappello) placed vertically on edge, creating a characteristic crenellated profile visible throughout the Iblean landscape. This is not decorative — it prevents water pooling on the top of the wall and locking freeze-thaw damage into the cap.

Who is legally qualified to restore dry-stone walls in Ragusa

The UNESCO inscription and subsequent Italian regulations created a certification debate: should dry-stone wall restoration require certified craftspeople? In Sicily, no formal licensing requirement exists yet (unlike some northern Italian regions where regional certifications have been introduced), but the PPR requires that restoration be carried out using traditional techniques — which implies using workers with knowledge of those techniques.

In the Ragusa area, traditional dry-stone wallers (muratori a secco) are becoming scarce. The older generation of farmers who built walls as part of normal agricultural activity is retiring. The craft is partially preserved by associations (Associazione Muratori a Secco Sicilia operates in the Ragusa area) and by a handful of agricultural contractors who maintain the skill commercially.

For a large estate with significant wall restoration (more than 200–300 linear metres), allow 6–8 months for the work and budget €60–120 per linear metre of wall (height-dependent: a 1m wall at €60–80/lm; a 1.8m terracing wall at €90–120/lm). These rates are for skilled dry-stone restoration, not standard masonry. Workers who charge standard masonry rates and then use cement pointing are the main quality problem in this sector.

Agricultural subsidy implications of maintaining muri a secco

For owners of agricultural land who participate in CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) payments through the Italian AGEA agricultural subsidy system, maintaining muri a secco in good condition is a conditionality requirement under BCAA1 (standard di buona condizione agronomica e ambientale) of the 2023–2027 CAP Strategic Plan for Italy. Properties where muri a secco are in poor condition or where walls have been demolished without replacement may be subject to CAP payment reductions at inspection.

Conversely, the CAP ecoschemes offer additional payments for maintenance and restoration of dry-stone walls as a biodiversity and landscape measure. For rural property buyers in the Ragusa hinterland who intend to farm the land or receive agricultural direct payments, the CAP subsidy dimension of wall restoration is worth investigating with an agricultural consultant (agronomo or dottore agronomo).

The dry-stone wall as a design element in high-end landscape architecture

Beyond the regulatory and agricultural context, muri a secco are increasingly requested by international buyers as a design feature in the landscaping of their Sicilian estates. A new dry-stone boundary wall, pool surround, or retaining terrace built in traditional Iblean technique integrates visually with the historic agricultural landscape and complies with PPR requirements in protected zones without requiring special authorisation.

For contemporary projects, dry-stone walls can be designed to higher structural standards than the traditional agricultural wall: foundation beams, geogrid reinforcement behind tall retaining walls, and engineering sign-off for walls over 1.5m height. The traditional aesthetic is preserved while meeting modern structural requirements — a combination that the Soprintendenza and park authorities consistently accept where they would refuse equivalent concrete retaining wall proposals.