Dr Francesca Romana Del Fattore, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow
Research updates, insights and future plans
Meet the researcher
Profile: Dr Francesca Romana Del Fattore
Project title: PaTHS – Pastoral Tracks Heading South. The evolution of the droveways in Central Southern Italy.
Start date: September 2024
End date: August 2026
School: School of History, Classics and Archaeology
What will your research seek to do?
PaTHS has three key objectives:
1. To investigate the origin and evolution of transhumance droveways in Central-Southern Italy;
2. To unravel the role of the tratturi (droveways) in the development of local historic landscapes and environments;
3. To assess the effect of recent decline of transhumance and abandonment of tratturi on local landscapes, heritage and environments.
How have you found your first year?
During my first year, I have:
- completed part of the laboratory training (pollen, phytolith and X-ray fluorescence analyses)
- established the Geographic Information System (GIS) for managing geographical, landscape and archaeological data
- January 2024: collected bibliography and historical cartography
- March 2024: conducted part of my Secondment at Lleida University (Catalunya, Spain)
- October 2024 and June – August 2025: conducted two fieldwork campaigns involving soil sampling and stratigraphic excavations along selected routes in the two study areas (southern Abruzzo and northern Apulia)
- formalised a scientific collaboration agreement in Abruzzo between Newcastle University’s School of History, Classics and Archaeology, the Italian Ministry of Culture, and the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise
What have you got planned for the year ahead?
Over the coming year, I will complete all required laboratory training, as well as analysing pastoral landscapes through Retrogressive Analysis and spatial analyses with the project Principal Investigator, Dr Francesco Carrer.
I will also be undertaking a new secondment in Italy focused on Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCM), alongside finalising my secondment in Lleida with the organisation of an international workshop on the protection and enhancement of European pastoral routes.
Now that you have started your Fellowship, what advice would you give to someone starting something similar?
- define a detailed plan of activities based on the project’s Gantt Chart
- acquire data, documentation and required permits as early as possible
- engage regularly with the PI and research support staff
- plan from the outset the preparation of a scientific article for an open-access journal with impact factor
- schedule necessary periods of rest
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA)
Dr Francesca Romana Del Fattore is supported by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) as a European Postdoctoral Researcher.
The flagship MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships allow researchers to acquire new skills and develop their careers through international mobility across different disciplines and sectors. The fellowships involve a research project, advanced training and knowledge exchange at a host institution.
For more information about the MSCA, please visit the MSCA website.
