During a geography research seminar (“Geisterdörfer & freie Geister”), I took part in a field research trip to the Val Aupa valley in Friuli, Italy, looking at peripheral mountain settlements and how they are used and perceived today. The project connected questions of rural decline and “ghost villages” with current forms of (re)settlement, including amenity/lifestyle migration and local, place-based development approaches. 

In the field, we worked with a mixed-method approach to understand everyday realities beyond stereotypes of “abandonment.” We combined qualitative interviews, where we focused on multilocal living (people splitting their lives between more than one home) and their motivations, rhythms of stay, and social integration, with systematic on-site observation.  For the built environment, we used a structured building survey sheet to document visible indicators such as building condition, renovation status, plots/gardens, and whether a house seemed permanently occupied, temporarily used, or left vacant.  To connect these observations spatially, we supported the project’s GIS work by linking houses and data via unique IDs, enabling mapping and analysis of patterns across villages and the wider valley. 

A key takeaway from the project was that large-scale rural change can not be explained through one simple model, and that individual decisions can still have very visible effects on places, especially in small communities.  This perspective helped us frame the valley not only as a “periphery,” but as a living landscape shaped by seasonal presence, second homes, small-scale revitalisation efforts, and changing relationships between people, buildings, and local identity. To share the experience more accessibly, we also produced a short video at the end of the trip.