1 ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND CONSERVATION 1.1 Conflicts... The research carried out during the last ten years by the authors and published as guidelines for conserva- tion, maintenance and enhancement of rural architec- ture in several Ligurian parks, regional or national (Musso & Franco 2000, 2006, Musso, Franco & Gnone 2008) are actually used as practical and methodological tools by owners and end users. Nev- ertheless, one main unresolved problem, especially for those settlements that arise on the hills far from any technical supply (as electric net, water and gas) regards the possible ways to reach an acceptable lev- el of comfort inside and outside the buildings, even recurring to new technologies and renewable sources. The fact that most of these parks are pro- tected by national and regional laws has repercus- sions on the process of authorization of new tech- nical installation by all the institutions in charge of the safeguard of landscape and architectural values, that don't follow, up to now, unified criteria. Mainly for these reasons, the Regional Director- ate of Liguria for Cultural and Landscape Property presented a research project focused on the defini- tion of guidelines to improve the eco-efficiency of the scattered rural buildings located in the UNESCO site of Cinque Terre, preserving their architectural and landscape values. The research programme has been financed through the funds explicitly issued by the Italian state to cover projects and studies for the management of the Italian World Heritage proper- ties. The Universities of Genoa and Pavia have been selected to develop the research and verify the real applicability of systems for the eco-efficiency of the buildings and their compatibility with the landscape values. This is one of the first cases developed in Italy, beyond few experiences and two other guides edited by the same Ministry (Di Bene & Scazzosi 2006; Baldesco & Barion 2011), and testifies the extreme attention that technicians in charge of safeguard of cultural heritage pose to the issues concerning envi- ronmental sustainability of historical heritage, aimed at overcome a series of technical difficulties and cul- tural constraints. Improving energy efficiency of traditional archi- tecture more constraints and limits than opportuni- ties clearly emerge. They are, for example, limits imposed by the imperative demand to not alter cul- tural and material values (not all the available tech- nical solutions are acceptable for they can potentially destroy historical architectures), or limits imposed by the economic capacity of the owners. In the meantime, other limits derive from the specific au- thorization processes to be followed, under respon- sibility of institutions devoted to the safeguard of the historical heritage which generally do not consider any problem related to energy efficiency and do not easily accept contemporary technical solutions. The peculiarity of traditional architecture excludes any form of standardization, often linked to the applica- tion of technical devices. Furthermore, the complex- ity and unpredictability of any intervention of resto- ration/renovation of historical structures often Renewable energy sources for rural architecture in fragile landscapes G. Franco & S.F. Musso Department of Sciences for Architecture, Polytechnic School, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy ABSTRACT: One of the main problems that can be addressed re-using and renovating the rural architecture in fragile landscape, is the research of a difficult balancing between conflicting demands. The architectural and landscape values, to be preserved and enhanced, may become a sort of obstacle to reach some kind of comfort (at least for heat and electricity) requested from new users. Insertion of new 'stand-alone' systems may cause modification not only on the perception of the landscape, but also on the physical maintenance of exist- ing materials and structures and conservation of spaces. With specific reference to this topic, the paper deals with problems, reflections and solutions found to give new life to abandoned small settlements included in the National park of Cinque Terre, in eastern Liguria, which is also listed as UNESCO site.