Analysis and survey of Lake Garda lemon houses: a tool to understand and manage a Mediterranean landscape in Lombardy

Lake Garda mild microclimate allowed the settlement and flourishing of a peculiar cultivation, that of the limonaie (lemon houses), which, at the time of its splendour, during the Little Ice Age, was the Northernmost citrus cultivation in whole earth and exported citrus in Central and Northern Europe. In a contribution to the 8th edition of the Symposium we highlighted the Mediterranean character of the landscape of the lemon houses. Here we enlighten how, in order to preserve this unique cultural heritage, there is an urgent need of a census accounting for both the current condition of the ancient productive sites and for all the agroecosystemic relationships between the limonaie, which contributed to shape their landscape. Due to the great water requirement of the citrus cultivations at mid latitudes, a particular attention is devoted to the traditional water harvesting and irrigation structures.