It is the result of a long research work developed on traditional vernacular architectures characterizing minor contexts. The focus of the contribution concerns in particular the territorial area of Valcellina (Pn), characterized by specific historical-environmental features. From a common elementary typological matrix that can be traced back to the paradigm of the pre-alpine house, the building stock has evolved into a series of variants that have determined its progressive adaptation to economic and environmental conditions. In the smaller towns scattered along the valley it is possible to read the processes of aggregation of the primitive bicellular units with redefinition of the vertical connection routes, of subdivision into monocellular units (columnar houses in Andreis), of progressive closure of the balconies with the generation of a later type (loggia house) more present, especially for climatic reasons in the upper part of the valley, but with different connotations compared to similar constructions in nearby Carnia.
The study clearly shows how the spontaneous awareness of the settled population is reflected in the constructive culture and how, as a result, it remains with the changing environmental contexts.
