Historical water infrastructures represent an overlooked cultural heritage of extraordinary importance, encompassing centuries of technical knowledge deeply intertwined with the landscape and social life. Matera stands out as a case study of international relevance, where the morphology of the historic urban fabric of the Sassi has been shaped by the Grabiglioni, or Fossi, streams that today lie hidden and compromised, deprived of the recognition they deserve. This study presents an integrated analysis that combines history, morphology, hydrology, and infrastructure to uncover the origin, evolution and cultural value of the entire context. Thus, the environmental and identity-related potential of these historical infrastructures emerges, along with the critical issues they pose, partly as a consequence of urban expansions. Reintegrating the Grabiglioni into urban development policies is not merely a matter of preservation; it represents a strategic opportunity to transform this heritage into a resource for safety, sustainability, and urban regeneration. The multidisciplinary approach proposed here can serve as a guide for similar studies on historical water infrastructures, restoring life and memory to legacies that narrate a timeless engineering intelligence and a careful understanding of the various territorial components (morphology, climate, works, and transformations). This article is a revised and expanded version of Altamura D. et al., Interdisciplinary investigation approach to analyze historical water infrastructures and urban transformations: the case study of the Grabiglioni in the Sassi of Matera, Italy, presented at CEES—International Conference on Construction, Energy, Environment and Sustainability in Bari (2025).

The rural architecture of Matera preserves important traces of the historical heritage represented by integrated water resources management systems, which contributed to the inscription of the city on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List in 1993. The need to guarantee water supply led to theoretical and practical knowledge aimed at sustainable management of resources, both within the urban fabric of the Sassi and along the historical routes of transhumance. The farmhouse known as Masseria del Cristo, in the countryside of Matera, bears historical evidence of this heritage, unlike what is observable in urban areas due to the significant transformations undergone in recent decades. Excavated cisterns, settling tanks, dug channels and a semi-excavated cistern with a roof were detected through photogrammetric processes and represented through 3D digital models that are freely consultable online. Through the analysis of this specific case study, the contribution proposes an interdisciplinary multiscale method to investigate the relationship between historical water systems and the geomorphological and hydrological context in which said systems are located. The results of this process provide a solid starting point to guide proper practices for the protection, recovery and enhancement of this historical heritage.

The Castle of Uggiano located in Ferrandina (MT),Italy, is evidently an emblematic example of fragile and inaccessible castle ruins within the landscape of the mediterranean coasts. The information of this architectural heritage appears fragmented and its ruins require early restoration actions due to its abandonment and the associated risk of disappearance. For this reason, a team of three architects, two engineers, a surveyor and an archaeologist were commissioned to carry out an executive restoration project by the Municipality of Ferrandina. This team proposes an integrated multidisciplinary methodology structured in the three main steps of data acquisition, data development and data dissemination, with the aim of identifying specific restoration project interventions and effective dissemination strategies. The systematization process of the data acquired by the archival and literature searches and UAV photogrammetry, allowed tocreate a detailed 3D digital model. This model was used to carry out remote site inspections, to develop studies of its historical building techniques and materials and toanalyse its specific structures, understanding their transformations over time, due to critical events such as landslides, earthquakes and sieges. The proposed methodology provides a dissemination strategy that develops along two parallel paths: the interactive fruition on Virtual Reality,through the use of an existing open-sourceweb platformfor tourism promotion, and the realization of innovative laboratory activities at the Elementary School to sensitize children to respect and care for the local historical heritage.