"OUT OF THE DARK" SELECTIVE MEMORY AS A DESIGN RESOURCE FOR RECLAIMING MARGINAL HERITAGE IN INNER AREAS

Addressing the theme of “heritage cities and oblivion”, this article examines Italy’s Inner Areas as territories where demographic decline, marginalisation, and selective heritage narratives have obscured anonymous traces, minor artefacts, rural heritage, and everyday practices. Rather than interpreting this condition only as loss, the study reconsiders oblivion as a “selective void” through which overlooked values can re-emerge and inform processes of spatial reactivation. Within this framework, selective memory is understood as a design resource for reinterpreting marginal heritage beyond monumental assets. The research applies this perspective to the municipality of Irma, in the Trompia Valley, an Inner Area in Lombardy. It adopts a mixed methodology combining a structured survey with thematic coding of open-ended responses, digital ethnography, and interpretative spatial mapping. The survey identifies places perceived as meaningful by residents and visitors, including the Parish Church of the Holy Trinity, Casa dell’Alpino, and the Sentiero dell’Acqua, while the qualitative responses reveal local priorities related to heritage preservation, shared spaces, public amenities, and continuous cultural and nature-based activities. Digital ethnography complements these findings by tracing informal narratives, recurring traditions, and seasonal rhythms that inform potential spatial and programmatic reactivation strategies. The originality of the article lies in translating social perceptions, qualitative proposals, and digital traces into a site-specific mnemonic field capable of guiding spatial and programmatic reactivation strategies. By “spatialising” these layers, the study connects heritage anchors, community needs, digital narratives, and underrepresented practices, positioning architectural design as a mediator between memory, oblivion, and transformation. The article ultimately proposes a transferable methodology for bringing marginal and overlooked heritage “out of the dark” through situated, bottom-up, and design-oriented forms of interpretation.