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Territories and Landscapes: Place Identity, Quality of Life and Psychological Well-Being in Rural Areas

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Italian Studies on Quality of Life

Part of the book series: Social Indicators Research Series ((SINS,volume 77))

Abstract

Different perspectives describe different characteristics related to the places of daily life: “territories” spatial-geographical areas with material and concrete dimensions, “landscape” environmental areas as perceived by the inhabitants, with cognitive, affective, social and aesthetical meanings. In the environmental psychology the term “place identity” means the aspects of the image of Itself in relationship to the meanings and in partnership values to a physical environment.

In the Central Italy there are historically and culturally recognized geographical areas, of rural-agricultural tradition, rich in natural landscapes and historical-cultural remembrances, like Lunigiana, Media Valle del Serchio, Crete Senesi and Maremma, these territories are considered traditionally marginal and disadvantaged. The study investigates to understand how “everyday landscapes” and the on-going processes of change are perceived by the inhabitants also in relation with Quality of Life. The results presented showed distinctions between different age groups examined: youth, adults and elderly.

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Correspondence to Maria Gabriella Ferrari .

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Ferrari, M.G., Bocci, E., Lepisto, E., Cavallero, P., Rombai, L. (2019). Territories and Landscapes: Place Identity, Quality of Life and Psychological Well-Being in Rural Areas. In: Bianco, A., Conigliaro, P., Gnaldi, M. (eds) Italian Studies on Quality of Life. Social Indicators Research Series, vol 77. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-06022-0_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-06022-0_19

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