An Algorithmic Approach to Viewsheds Analysis for Cultural Landscape: Manziana and the Bracciano Lake Area

This essay presents a discussion of the results of an ongoing research project on the historic centre of Manziana and the cultural landscape encompassing Lake Bracciano. The study employs viewshed analysis as a methodological framework to investigate the visual interrelations between the village of Manziana, the neighbouring settlements, the Hermitage of Montevirginio and the lake area. The contribution herein presents a reinterpretation of the problem of calculating intervisibility through the utilisation of algorithmic modelling tools, an alternative to the more customary GIS-based approach. The logical assumptions and criteria adopted for the algorithmic interpretation of the problem, in conjunction with the tested procedure, are discussed in order to enable their replicability and validation. The results of the analysis demonstrate the existence of two viewshed scenarios for the villages surrounding the lake and highlight the visual relationships between the lake area and human settlements. The implementation of viewshed analysis through the proposed approach facilitates the acquisition of data that can be immediately used for modelling environments intended for architectural and landscape design, thus reducing the distance between the analysis phase and the design phase of future interventions.