ABSTRACTS DEL CONVEGNO INTERNAZIONALE DI SCIENZA E BENI CULTURALI

ABSTRACTS DEL CONVEGNO INTERNAZIONALE DI SCIENZA E BENI CULTURALI

-anno 2006-

PAVIMENTAZIONI STORICHE

Uso e Conservazione

Primo studio sui materiali lapidei utilizzati nei pavimenti di edifici Milanesi e Lombardi.

The use of stones for pavements was widespread in Lombardy since the Roman time. Hexagonal tiles or lozenges of sedimentary rocks, as black limestone and Rosso ammonitico (nodular red limestone), were used together with white marbles to make geometric patterns. The use increased since the end of 19th century following the availability of stones coming from the whole country; rectangular slabs of limestone, travertine, marble and greenstone were generally employed and mosaic tesseræ too, made of coloured limestones and marbles.

I pavimenti maiolicati della certosa di Pavia: i materiali e le tecniche di produzione.

The ancient floor of the Charterhouse church was built with majolica tiles, either monochrome or polychrome. This work deals on historical aspects resulting from the material studies of polychrome tin-opacified lead tiles, now displayed at the Charterhouse Museum. Investigated tiles are the last witnesses of the original majolica flooring. The study only concerns glaze compositional and microtextural features, and was undertaken by a preliminary micro-sampling (few micron in size), followed by a multi-analytical approach where SEM and EPMA have been employed.

The analyses of the dark-blue decoration allows to disclose one of the most hidden aspects of this flooring, i.e. the age of the tiles making. The absence of As and the presence of Co, Fe, Cu and Ni in the blue pigment strongly suggest an age preceding 1520 AD for the tile craftsmanship.

Certosa di Pavia, majolica tiles, Cobalt blue, tin-opacified lead glaze, majolica floor, Scanning Electro Microscope, Electron Probe Analysis.

Il pavimento della metropolitana di Ravenna ed il reimpiego degli elementi antichi.

The Ravenna Cathedral, built in 1743/44 on design by Gian Francesco Buonamici, took the place of one of the biggest churches of the early Christianity: the Ursiana Basilica, founded by Bishop Orso at the beginning of V century. The present floor of the church (more than 2000 sq. mt. composed by several panels different in size) is unique for the nature of its elements: besides the simple relocation of some parts of the ancient floor, many others, such as corbels, capitals and pillars of different diameters, were “condemned to be sawed” before being reutilized. Buonamici used transennas, pluteus, pillars and capitals, sawed “at the foot of the yard”, as flooring plates for the new Cathedral and disposed them according to different nature and shape. Starting from the knowledge of the situation of the previous floors, as determined by the archaeological investigations of XIX and XX centuries, and on the base of an exact new metric survey of the present floor, all the parts obtained reutilizing the ancient elements have been identified. The comparison of shape, size and material of the elements allowed to define also which architectural elements of the ancient Basilica, reduced in plates, were reutilized (the nature of capitals, the probable original location of the columns, subdivided in different classes of diameter, ...). Preservation conditions and decay processes of the floor have been analyzed.

Ravenna Cathedral – Ravenna churches - Ursiana Basilica – Gian Francesco Buonamici – Ancient marbles - Reutilization – Opus sectile – Marble flooring

Starting from a citation by the paragraph that Vitruvio devoted to the pavements, in his treatise “De Architectura”, the paper tries to investigate the reasons because several ancient pavements often “disappear”, or are sacrificed within our restoration interventions. Rules about safety or technical requirements are sometimes recalled to justify this attitude and the destruction of those artifacts. In other occasions, the search for a new comfort, or of a new “decor”, supports the same destiny. Other times, further on, it is simply the personal design choice that brings to the same result. The problem, at the end, it is that no one of these reasons seems to be really compulsory or without alternative. This circumstance, therefore, imposes a serious consideration about our choices and our capability in finding new technical and design solutions, to balance the needs of safety, of strengthening or of cleanness, with those of the respect for important traces of our past.

The wooden floorings in the representation environment of the Savoy residences and of the coeval noble buildings, both of new construction and of renewall, build up an unique heritage of the architecture in Piedmont for its artistic historical value and for the characteristic of longevity. The use of wooden floors on underlying frame develops from the XVIIth to the XIXth century, and particularly from the half of the XVIIIth, interesting the castles of Venaria, of Agliè, of Rivoli, of Moncalieri and in Turin the Royal Palace, the Carignano building, the Villa della Regina and many noble buildings in the city and in the territory. Their execution moves from an ideation sometimes of important signature, of court architects and their collaborators, that find in the specialized workers, the “minusieri” (for example Carlo Maria Ugliengo and family for the first half the eighteenth century, Antonio Capello called “Moncalvo” in the thirties of the XIXth century), men skilled in the complex framework operations. Over their preciousness, this floors show even an extraordinary flexibility, and they allowed the underlying network to the insertion like plants and pipings and they have been sometimes maintained in the time with integrations and sometimes with their re-employment.

The wood floors appeared in Lombardia for the first time in the early XVIII century, when french treatises reached a wide diffusion in Milan. Some of them were based on french models, some other were the result of a patient and precise work of parqueterie that made them either precious and delicate.

Their use was unusual in the representative rooms and was generally restricted to private rooms, until the first half of XIX century. Sometimes wood was chosen instead of stone for its insulating effect also in public buildings, where rough boards were used to prevent the effect of ‘cold wall’.

In the second half of XIX century the use of parquet became more diffused also in the representative rooms of the richest house. This technique consisted in tablets, sometimes characterized by complex geometric shapes, that were tapped, nailed to the rafters and placed side by side to compose a pattern.

The progressive reduction of the thickness and the simplification of the patters transformed the parquet in a low cost finish, close to a substitute and hard to preserve.

Pavimentazioni in cotto: esempi della Ferrara estense. Restauro e pratiche manutentive antiche ed attuali.

The study concern cotto’s floorings realized in Ferrara during XIV and XVI century, start from archive-keeping documentation, which give us some precious attestations about some evanished examples, that denote a great technical ability: from banked pavement to majolica paving. Some floorings build indoor and outdoor were realized with some kind of tile, in that case the construction was studied to preserve these elements.

Recently, in several restoration building site, was possible to make other observations and researches about the “cocciopesto” floorings, but not only, it was possible to appreciate some ancient procedures of maintenance.

Started to executive technics that connote Ferrara’s floorings, the study want to propose some simple, but appropriate, maintenance procedures.

Il restauro del pavimento marmoreo della chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta dei Gesuiti a Venezia.

In the baroque Gesuiti Church of Venice the precious marmoreal floor of the presbytery is currently under restoration. This floor is composed of large Carrara marble slabs enriched with inlayings of Antico or Tessaglia marble forming a flowery pattern.

The flooring of the nave was already previously restored and is composed of large inserted slabs of Istrian stone of different shapes, with inlayings of small strips of Verde Antico or Tessaglia marble forming an elaborate geometric pattern. The entire flooring of the church presented a bad state of preservation with the presence of fractures, crackings and loss of material, largely due to the lack of firmness of the underlaying ground layer, composed of a mixture of debris from the pre-existing demolished Crociferi Church on which the slabs were directly laid. First signs of subsidence and saggings appeared soon after the reconstruction of the church, as proved by the Nineteenth century documentation which can be found at the Historical Archive of the Superintendency of Venice.

The intervention has therefore included the removal and reinforcement of the heavy stone slabs, the excavation of the layer of friable ground and the creation of a new footing, then the recovery of all the green marble inlayings and the integration of the numerous missing parts that were fixed adopting the traditional technique of the natural resin (colophony).

The flooring of the first chapel on the right side of the church, with marble tarsias, has been restored using the same techniques.

Il pavimento della Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore a Firenze: progetto di rilievo.

The floor of Florence Cathedral, result of contribution of numerous craftsmen, shows excellent decorative pattern realized through “white and stained marbles” of different provenance. The relief project, obtained by digital correction of images acquired with high resolution, allows the cataloguing of used lapideous stones and the quantification of their areal extension. The recognition of material is based on macroscopic observation and for each element a data sheet containing dimensional, classificative and conservation state’s informations is produced.

For the study of the state a conservation, methods able to evaluate altimetric variations will be used. Scanner system and ortophoto are very useful for the study of planarity defects and erosion state. These methods allow to know the general state of conservation of the whole floor and, in particularly, to define the lithotypes that will need major attention, above all regarding the erosion phenomena, determined by the presence of a huge number of visitors. These information can be useful for the planning of the conservation intervention and for the a sustainable use of the Cathedral.

Cristiana Achille, Raffaella Brumana, Luigi Fregonese, Carlo Monti, Ettore Vio

Il pavimento della Basilica di San Marco. Il progetto di rilievo digitale e della restituzione alla scala reale 1:1.

The Basilica of San Marco’s floor in Venice is very famous for his historical-artistic importance, for his undulation, the constituent wealth and the materials that compose it.

In agreement with the Procuratoria and the Proto, a digital relief has been placed in yard to scale 1:1 of all the mosaic to obtain a three-dimensional ortophoto.

The importance of this type of relief range to the fine documentation of the object to differents cognitives possibilities to join the restoration, until the realization of an informatic system of management , knowledge, future maintenance of the entire pavement. In a test area of approximately 40 mq in the right transept face of the treasure, has been tried technologies, elaborations, instruments for the evaluation of the operative feasibility of a similar relief.

The employment of the photogrammetric camera Rollei DB44 Metric with 16 millions of pixel applied on a sensor with an approximately 4cmx4cm format (1 pixel = 0.009mm), a photogram scale on an average 1:50, a topographic base with 9 points for each frame ( with 1mm incertitude in planimetry and 0.2 mm in elevation), the total compensation of the frames who are 60% longitudinally recovered and 20% laterally by an aerial triangulation, the DSM (Digital Surface Model) construction for the autocorrelation of the image, have largely confirm the possibility of the realization of the 3D ortophoto. In effect using a f/40 mm with nadirals shots of approximately 2.20m, we obtain a real pixel on the ground of 0.5 mm , value who’s compatible with the real scale 1:1. All is punctually geo-referenced in the national cartographic system.

The 3D ortophoto, obtained from the DSM, in addiction to give the correct position of each tessera of the pavement, in a completely automatic way permit to extract, with two points fixed, the continuous altimetric course included between this ones and so realize (automatically) the template for the restoration of the foundation with his characteristic undulation.

Il pavimento della Basilica di San Marco . La realizzazione dell’ortofoto 3D in digitale alla scala reale 1:1.

The success in terms of feasibility and utility of the 3D ortophoto for the restorers, as well as the possibility to automatically extract the outlines of the photographed surface, have seen the extension at all the pavement of photogrammetric shots.

A team composed by three-four operators, with the help of the Procuratoria members, has been planned the shots (and the exploit) to realize in a span of six months around Christmas 2004, the entire mosaic surface of the Basilic. In truth the job has been protracted for others six months because of the higther frequency of religious ceremonies near Christmas and Easter period and because of the incessant tourist inflow.

The project about the shots have suite the routine procedure performed in the area test (june 2004): totally have been realized more than 2000 digitals frames in colour and have been topographically surveilled about 2250 GCP (Ground Control Point).

The restitution of the block of strips has been started by Nartece Nord and actually (april 2006), we can see the realization about two thirds of pavement, 1200 mq of 2000 mq.

The 3D ortophoto is realize with a mesh aside of 0.5mm, than the DSM with a mesh of 10mm aside. The altimetric uncertainty of the DSM, always obtain by image connection, presents precision of order of millimeter. This one allows to observe in detail, also in restricted area, the state of the surface and even the wear of materials. In all Nartece has been opered also a Laser Scanner survey.

Raffaella Brumana, Luigi Fregonese, Carlo Monti, Federico Prandi, Ettore Vio

Il pavimento della Basilica di San Marco. La modellazione del pavimento entro gli alzati architettonici.

The representation of complex surfaces and the study of the form and colour of mosaic surfaces in general imply the need to create complex three-dimensional models because of methods used for their acquisition and for management of the metric information and the accuracy that needs to be reproduced. The term "reproduce," which is used when discussing creation of virtual models, poses some questions related to its significance: producing an object again means being able to understand it metrically with a certain definite accuracy, based on the scales of representation chosen. If the final objective of the understanding is to execute a copy of the object at a life-size scale, the precision required will produce a model totally similar to the same reality. Brand-new reproduction implies an entirely different aspect: the metric understanding must be accompanied by an appropriate understanding of the colour information (correct spatial position of the radiometric information) in order to place the elements that define the entire mosaic floor surface. In the case in point, the floor of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, we are faced with a 2000m2 surface whose 3D model was inserted in between the architectural elevations in order to better understand the interconnecting relationships between the structure and the floor. The 3D model of the elevations was done with LIDAR terrestrial technology (Leica HDS3000 laser scanner) for the geometric part, while the radiometric information was acquired using a high-resolution photogrammetric camera (Rolleiflex 6008metric and Phase-One digital). The 3D model of the mosaic surface was constructed using digital photogrammetry techniques of image autocorrelation (sub-millimetre accuracy defined by the real size of the pixel acquired, equal to 0.5mm) with SocetSet software. The new form generated in this way has two major advantages: the first is related to conservation and renovation of the floor, which is accomplished by using precision templates that respect the form it has assumed over time. The second advantage is the interactive study and analysis that the virtual model allows by means of generating a 3D Geographic Information System (GIS), which can be navigated and consulted directly by the users.

I pavimenti incrostati di gesso (anidrite), terracotta e pietre del dodicesimo e tredicesimo secolo nella Sassonia-Anhalt. Caratteristiche materiche e tecniche, proposte per la loro conservazione e manutenzione.

Since medieval times “gypsum” was an important building material in the region “Harz”, Saxony-Anhalt (Germany). Based on roman traditions of floor-making a particular interpretation of “opus sectile” and “incrustatio” works had been developed in the 12th and 13th century: A jointless floor was scratched in a figural and/or geometrical way . The scratched lines were then filled by coloured pastes and subsequently eavened. More than ten pavements have been uncovered in the 19th and 20th century and often presented without any appropriate conservation. The knowledge of the gypsum production and therefore also the “know-how” for repair works is lost since the second half of the 20th century. Nowadays mural paintings restorers together with natural scientists are looking for appropriate conservation and preservation strategies. An important aspect of these efforts is to rediscover ancient production and working methods.

Tessellati figurati di epoca medievale in Italia e in Francia: affinità e differenze.

The text analyzes the iconological meaning of some mosaics pavements in medieval churches (most of them of the 12th century) in Italy (Aosta, Piacenza, Pavia, Bobbio) and in France (Die, Tournus, Cruas, Sain-Paul-trois-Chateaux), that introduces cosmographic icons. The theme is very frequent in the Romanesque art, also in other kinds of material (tapestries, sculptures, paintings), since it represents the figured transposition of the concepts of space and time in the medieval religious mentality. Representations of the physical world and the astral world conjugated him to underline the close relationship between earth and sky, between man and God, in the intent to point out that the last goal of the human life has to be the eternal salvation. The medieval mosaics pavements constitute an interesting artistic reality, especially for the expressive liberty with which they succeed in translating in images abstract, and often dogmatic entity. They are more polycrome, even though with limited chromatic variety, but they don't also miss layouts in to plot white and black, that they have often enriched also from epigraphic inscriptions that helps to understand better the meaning of the images.

middle age; mosaics; pavements; iconography; cosmographies; calendar; months;

Pavimenti “parlanti”. Iscrizioni pavimentali e/o pavimenti iscritti in epoca romana e tardoromana.

“TALKING” FLOORS. FLOOR INSCRIPTIONS AND/OR INSCRIBED FLOORS IN ROMAN AND LATE ROMAN PERIODS

On the border between archaeology and epigraphy, the writings (generally made of tesserae) on internal floors often escaped the interest of scholars, as may be confirmed by anyone reviewing epigraphic manuals or texts more generally addressing ancient floors. Yet such inscriptions, in addition to providing elements that are often crucial in interpreting and determining the chronology of the buildings associated with them, were neither occasional nor circumscribed. At Ostia, for example, approximately 11% of the decorated floors found in excavations bear mosaic inscriptions. Even more since 4th century AD, boosted by the development of Christianization and adapting quite well to the needs of the ecclesiastical hierarchy and the faithful people, mosaic inscriptions gained strong popularity throughout the Roman Empire at least until the time of Justinian.

Le pavimentazioni della chiesa di San Alessandro a Lasnigo (Como). Primi dati su materiali e pratiche costruttive dal XII al XVIII secolo.

The archaeological excavations of St. Alessandro Church in Lasnigo (Como, Italy), aimed at bringing to light the original Romanesque structures, showed the stratigraphy of the floors running from 12th century until to 18th century.

A lime mortar with addition of silicatic sands and pottery fragments was the most ancient floor called pavimentazione continua. It was 4- 5 cm in thickness resting on the natural ground.

The enlarging works of 16th century required a new lime mortar floor with addition of silicatic and carbonatic aggregates. In this case the aggregates size varied in a large range up to cobble-stones; it was about 8 cm in thickness.

Petrographic and mineralogical analyses integrated with field-examination allowed to bring a contribution for the knowledge of the materials and the traditional technique used in this architectural context.

archaeological excavations, St. Alessandro Church in Lasnigo, lime mortar floors, tiled floors.

Il mosaico sommitale del mausoleo rotondo sulla via Appia Antica: diffusione di una tipologia e intervento conservativo.

A Roman floor mosaic, recently found on the top of the round sepulchre so called Mausoleo rotondo, located along the Appia Antica, represents a rare example of a top decoration in this architectural typology and an interesting case of conservation in situ, in the course of maintenance program that Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma has run since 2000 in the archeological park. The mosaic alternates a geometrical black-white pattern with exagonal and rhomboidal motives, and a edge with running waves design. Considering the peculiarity of this finding, it has been evaluated to preserve the mosaic in site, performing all phases of consolidation, reintegration of gaps and protection. The work, still in progress, aims to guarantee continuity between bedding layer, with its detachments and collapses, and lower layers, severely damaged by root growth. After a previous detailed documentation, employing a methodology respectful of irregularities and small changes of the surface, reintegration of partial or localized gaps in tessellatum is obtained replacing tesserae already found in the gap. Because of the open-air context in the public archeological park, at about 5 – 6 metres from the road layer, under pine trees part of the biological concern in the site, a long term reburial of the mosaic has been provided to permit a better maintenance and keep the site monitored and under control.

Mosaic; Pavement mosaic; Mausoleum; Appia Antica; In situ; Restoration; Reburial; Maintenance.

Una banca dati dei pavimenti a commesso marmoreo (sectilia pavimenta) di eta’ romana.

Sectilia pavimenta is the name that in ancient Roman time was attributed to the floors obtained by joining small tiles of polychrome stone, usually marble, arranged in geometric patterns.

These were the more expensive and representative type of ancient pavements of the time and hey can give us a lot of information on the functions, the owners and the decorative levels of the buildings to which pertains.

To increase our knowledge of this important category of pavements a research programme, which started as a part of the “CNR-Progetto Finalizzato Beni Culturali”, is still carried out for a more detailed analysis in the Roman section of the CNR-ICVBC.

A specific software was elaborated and then applied to study not only the typological aspects but also the conservation methods used both in the past and in the more recent times.

The methods of data collection and elaboration are described and the results of some applications are discussed.

Il rinterro temporaneo: dalla sperimentazione verso una metodologia analitica normalizzata.

Among the strategies of preventive conservation aimed to maintain the archaeological mosaic pavements in site, temporary (seasonal) reburial is one of the most used.

Recently, ICR carried out some investigation to evaluate the efficiency of different material and reburial methods, in archaeological sites, in Italy and Malta. From these studies it results the need to plan observations and analyses for recording the reburial over time and to verify the conservative criteria applied. Moreover a form has been scheduled to standardize the information and, by the increasing of this know-how, to address the management of archaeological sites.

archaeological floors; temporary reburial; Tas Silg (Malta); Terme Taurine (IT); villa romana Casignana (IT)

Fabiano Ferrucci, Antonella Fiamminghi, Maria Letizia Amadori, Sara Barcelli, Giuliana Raffaelli

Aspetti tecnologici e problemi di conservazione delle pavimentazioni della casa degli affreschi di Velia.

Il presente contributo prende in esame i rivestimenti pavimentali della Casa degli Affreschi, recentemente riportata in luce presso Velia, l’antica Elea fondata dai Focei in Campania. Dal punto di vista tipologico essa è inquadrabile in un ambito ben rappresentato, quello delle abitazioni ad atrio, mentre dal punto di vista tecnologico mostra caratteristiche decisamente peculiari nel panorama delle tecniche costruttive romane. L’edificio che costituisce, per Velia, il primo esempio di unità abitativa romana indagata in maniera sistematica, sta rivelando un esteso utilizzo di impasti terrosi, sia per la realizzazione delle pavimentazioni litiche tassellate o in laterizio, sia per le strutture degli elevati e dei rivestimenti parietali. Sono state, inoltre, scoperte pavimentazioni in mattone velino (una tipologia di laterizio di produzione locale che per dimensione e forma non ha riscontro in altri luoghi) e decorazioni pavimentali, collocabili entro il I secolo d. C., realizzate con tessere in laterizio e calcare, inserite nel battuto di terra.

Per avere informazioni sui materiali costitutivi e sulle tecniche esecutive sono state indagate malte provenienti dalla Casa degli Affreschi e da altri edifici presenti nel sito, che sono state successivamente confrontate con terreni archeologici prelevati in aree limitrofe. I campioni sono stati sottoposti ad osservazioni al microscopio ottico e ad analisi in diffrattometria di raggi X (XRD). I risultati delle indagini hanno evidenziato la presenza di malte parzialmente argillose, caratterizzate dalla mancanza di calcite, riconducibili al probabile utilizzo di impasti terrosi disponibili nel sito. L’uso così esteso di una tecnologia a base di terra cruda pone non poche difficoltà nelle scelte di intervento, rendendo necessaria, in fase di restauro, sia l’applicazione di soluzioni tecniche mirate, sia una riflessione di ordine generale sui limiti degli strumenti che la scienza può oggi offrire per frenare il degrado di un organismo architettonico che ha ormai perso irrimediabilmente la propria integrità. Di fronte ad una tecnologia che non può tollerare minimamente il dilavamento, diventa difficile intendere il restauro di un rudere da scavo archeologico come “mantenimento dello status quo”. Vanno quindi necessariamente vagliate anche scelte più difficili, quali la costruzione di coperture ed il reinterro parziale, mirato e ragionato.

Velia, terra cruda, laterizio, cocciopesto, pavimentazione, rudere, XRD, microscopia ottica.

Valutazione dello stato di conservazione di pavimentazioni musive archeologiche protette da coperture definitive. Tre casi a confronto.

The effects of protective shelters in three archaeological sites have been compared. The state of conservation and the alteration forms of pavimental mosaics have been studied to obtain data useful for the evaluation of the shelters presence. The chemical and biological phenomena of alteration have been related to the presence of water and light and to the inadequate maintenance. A specific project for the shelter and the knowledge of the environment are the main steps to realize the correct conservative conditions.

archaeological sites, mosaics, protective shelters, biodeterioration, efflorescences.

A Savona, nei pressi della fortezza del Priamar, da anni si stanno conducendo campagne di scavo che hanno tra l’altro riportato alla luce un intero quartiere medievale: quello dei conciatori. In particolare la successione e la sequenza delle pavimentazioni individuate hanno permesso di acquisire una notevole quantità di dati riguardo a questo interessante sito cittadino.

Le sollecitazioni emerse da questo studio sono numerose e riguardano in particolare il ruolo che la pavimentazione gioca nell’analisi stratigrafica di scavo, di superficie e di elevato. La specifica destinazione d’uso dell’area porta inoltre ad interrogarsi circa la fruibilità di questi specifici siti e nello stesso tempo alla loro necessaria e doverosa conservazione.

pavimentazioni medievali, archeologia d’elevato, archeologia di scavo, conservazione, fruibilità

Pavements accessibility is one of the most important themes in public and private space use. This subject can be treated as a design detail in a building project or can be extended to town planning problems of urban public spaces intended as a whole.

The inside pavements are accessible to disabled people, problems caused by thresholds usually could be solved joining together the two different paved levels.

Instead in urban open spaces historical pavements often are un-accessible due to the texture and / or the material used. The paper, trough good practices, presents a problem-solving methodological approach to pavements.

Natural asphalt has been known and traded for at least 6000 years. It was used to build the Processional Way in Babylon (about 1000 b.C.). The most common natural asphalts are rocks soaked with bitumen; they are present in different areas of the world; a well known ancient quarry was located in Dead Sea.

Natural asphalts were used since the XIX century when they were applied on the urban streets of Paris, London and Washington D.C.. In Italy the most ancient quarries of natural asphalt were located in Abruzzo and Sicily. The “Pietra Pece” (the name of the Sicilian natural asphalt rock) was largely used since 1850 to make indoor floors and stairs in palaces and churches and to pave roads and pavements.

We have little information on the physico-chemical properties of such materials as well as on their ageing characteristics.

The aim of our studies was to identify and a useful analytical technique to recognize and characterize natural asphalts and their properties.

The aim of this paper is to report the kind of the streets realized during the XVIII century in Genoa. This matter has been studied on written sources, from which it has emerged that in Genoa the care of the streets was applied not only for the city ornament, but also for the safety of pedestrians and carriages. The citizen themselves had a particular attention for the pavements; in fact they contributed to support the expenses both for maintenance and for new construction of streets that were in front of their houses. Moreover, since the end of the XVIII century, rigorous rules about the transit through the city were in force, so Genoa resulted a city prevalently oriented for pedestrians streets paved with cobble-stones and with a central line of bricks. But with the diffusion of transports, it was felt more and more necessary to open and build new streets, so new type of paving began to be realized with paving-sandstones of La Spezia. Anyway the use of cobble-stones and bricks was not abandoned and it is possible to find various combinations of them. Every space is characterized from a special kind of pavement easily identified and recognizable. The ancient street, therefore, sends back to a particular kind of structure where the construction knowledge, materials, territory resources, contribute to constitute the image of the city and to characterize a space of the route of the human work.

Tiziano Mannoni, Ester Bertorello, Caterina Gardella, Daniela Pittaluga, Alessandra Rotta

La pavimentazione viaria elemento conoscitivo per la tutela dei nuclei storici liguri.

The preservation and cultural exploitation of historical route pavings is serious issue in the restoration of historical centres and hinterland of Liguria. The public roads along the coast and the ones connecting to padana valley still contain original paving materials, but current restoration projects lack for verifiable and homogeneous scientific contents.

This is an interesting case for building a database of such elements for planning and maintenance activities, including also related analyses and knowledge on pre-existing materials. Beyond this target there is a proposition as a kind of “school of historical building” for the formation of local workforce on such ancient constructive techniques.

The results of the search can be used such supports of territorial planning and sustainable management historical cost centres and rural burghs.

restoration, local and natural materials, urban and rural road, historical centres, masonry bridges

Stefania Argiolas, Gianfranco Carcangiu, Deborah Floris, Luigi Massidda, Paola Meloni, Antonio Vernier

Idoneita’ funzionale di alcune piroclastiti sarde nella realizzazione di pavimentazioni.

The pyroclastic rocks have been widely used in the past and are still exploited because of their low quarrying cost, large availability and easy workability. These lithotypes characterize not only the hystorical centers of villages risen in the mining districts, but also important hystorical buildings constructed in various towns of Sardinia.

This paper provides the results of chemical, mineralogical and technical characterization of some Sardinian pyroclastic rocks, belonging to the Fordongianus-Ruinas (central Sardinia) and Serrenti (southern Sardinia) districts. In these areas the pyroclastic rocks are extensively used in form of regular blocks for buildings, as decorative architectural elements and ashlers, generally as telford pavements. Therefore suitable technological features, as abrasion resistance and impact strength, are requested. The results of this investigation point out the particular behaviour of different lithofacies towards the specific decay agents.

Another important factor is “hystorical compatibility” of materials. A wise use of a “poor” material, so having low mechanical properties, can allow valuable interventions also contributing to conserve the hystorical characteristics and traditional building technics.

pyroclastic rocks, welded tuffs, microstructure, durability, abrasion, rupture energy.

The implications are here discussed of moving the focus from restoration as an event to conservation as a process. The shape of this process is circular, so that there is no origin, but a continuous activity of prevention, maintenance, and sometimes restoration, just when needed. It becomes necessary to think of cultural heritage (e.g. of floors) in different perspectives, and restoration itself has to be thought in terms of coherence and coordination with previous and subsequent phases. Such a change implies less importance for old questions, giving freedom and responsibility to any project; but it also implies new epistemological references for theoretical research.

Metodologia per l'identificazione delle cause di degrado di pavimentazioni stradali in pietra nei centri storici.

In the present paper a methodology for the evaluation of the decay of the stone paving used in the historic centre of the city of L’Aquila is presented.

The loss of efficiency of the cobblestone paving brings both the road to lose their features (comfortable driving and safety) and to increases the risk of accidents as well as the costs of management and maintenance.

In order to identify the causes of decay, 239 stone paving have been analysed; the following parameters have been collected and recorded by means of a technical data sheet: typology of the covering (material, shape and size, type of joint), type and magnitude of traffic, use of the road, number of underground services, level of decay.

The results obtained shown that the main cause of decay is the heavy and the intensity of the traffic. Furthermore an inappropriate design and maintenance is responsible of the progressive loss of efficiency of the road and concern the materials used for the sealing joints, those employed for manufacturing the road foundations and how and many underground service are realised.

At least the ancient white cobblestones, realised with local limestone, are replaced with porphyry ones.

Materiali, struttura e disegno delle pavimentazioni stradali di Roma : un caso di ardua conservazione/manutenzione e l’illusione delle riproposizioni di una immagine fuori dal tempo.

Essay concerns Roman historic paving stones so called “sanpietrini” and the difficulty to maintain and re-make them at present time.

In historic centre there are few pedestrian zones and the remaining streets are involved in heavy car traffic, than re-make of Roman paving stones must be done in an hurry, adopting fastest techniques different from the original one. Result is that formal appearance is also different from historical images.

There are some experiences of imitative substitutions but outcomes are trivial because of low quality of replacement material and too short time for construction.

An alternative and clever solution should be the use of “modern” materials and techniques, more appropriate in: avoiding the deformation of street shape and profile caused by the heavy car traffic; lower the noise; satisfying the human perception.

The ancient Roman historic paving stones should be exactly replaced and conserved in pedestrian zones of Rome historic centre, as well as in vehicle street where car traffic is limited and light.

Essay develops an excursus, based upon 16th century unpublished documents, concerning history of paving stone use in Rome.

Fruibilità e sicurezza nel recupero di antichi percorsi ambientali della penisola sorrentina.

During the past few years, tourism promotion in the Sorrento Peninsula has been set towards a new position: the rediscovery of pathways. In fact the ancient pathways are once again preferential routes for the appreciation of environmental heritage.

The paper proposes guidelines for the recovery and maintenance of pedestrian environmental paths of the Sorrento Peninsula, in order to provide the municipality with normative tools which can protect the local structural features and guarantee the safety and use requirements.

In the Sorrento Peninsula, as a matter of fact, the renewed interest of tourists and local people for the ancient environmental paths imposes on Authority the need to guarantee a safe exploitation.

The recovery and maintenance of the ancient pedestrian paths, therefore, are strategies directed towards a safe use of them, protecting, at the same time, their cultural identity and environmental quality.

I pavimenti dipinti (1999-2003) di Leon Tarasewicz: tecnica esecutiva e problemi di conservazione.

Leon Tarasewicz (n.1957) è uno dei più importanti pittori polacchi degli ultimi venti anni. Fin dalle sue prime esposizioni (1985), oltre che su tela o carta, dipinge su muro, pilastri, soffitti, strutture architettoniche preesistenti o da lui appositamente costruite. Nel 1999 fa la sua prima pittura su pavimento. Non è certo il primo artista contemporaneo che scopre il valore figurativo delle opere sui pavimenti (cfr. W.De Maria, G.Alviani ,L.Benglis,Carl Andre et al.), ma di certo è uno di quelli che maggiormente sviluppa il tema con il medium pittorico(L.T. è infatti sempre un pittore, non usa video o composizioni polimateriche).

Tarasewicz declina il motivo in modi diversi: con solchi ricchi di materia giustapponendo colori puri a rilievo, con colori ad impasto mescolati su un piano sia al livello originale che su piani rialzati che drammatizzano gli spazi creandone una nuova percezione.

Dal 2003 Tarasewicz usa anche cementi colorati in pasta ottenendo composizioni tridimensionali di impatto monumentale: il colore non riveste più solamente le cose, ma è la sostanza stessa che le compone. Una potente metafora della visione del mondo sub specie coloris di cui parla l’artista riferendosi alla sua percezione della vita ed al suo lavoro.

La conservazione di queste opere da un lato va affrontata in modo tradizionale: studiando il loro significato, i materiali utilizzati, la loro tenuta nel tempo,e la possibile interazione con materiali di restauro ecc. In questa fase è importante la testimonianza dell’artista per chiarire il significato dell’opera, la natura dei materiali impiegati e anche per la testimonianza dell’uso di particolari accorgimenti tecnici.

Per intervistare l’artista si sono utilizzate le raccomandazioni INCCA, così le informazioni potranno poi essere facilmente messe in rete per formare l’ormai improrogabile banca dati sull’arte contemporanea promossa dall’icn di Amsterdam e dalla Tate Gallery di Londra.

Ma d’altra parte questi “pavimenti”pongono una serie di interrogativi nuovi sulla loro conservazione per il diverso rapporto che essi, come molte opere contemporanee, hanno con la materia che li compone. Ad esempio: basta conservare la memoria fotografica o bisogna conservare anche la materia di installazioni come queste? Ha senso conservare in verticale, come quadri, i pezzi resecati di queste installazioni? Che senso ha l’autografismo in queste opere create in larga parte da assistenti? E quindi come vanno trattate le eventuali lacune?. Non tutte le considerazioni fatte da Brandi sul restauro dell’arte antica sono utilizzabili per l’arte contemporanea e nella deregulation produttiva dell’arte d’oggi è difficile enucleare prinicipi-guida generali. Di questo si discute nella seconda parte del saggio pensato comunque come premessa metodologica al successivo lavoro analitico e di restauro.

Leon Tarasewicz, conservation of contemporary art, painted floors, conservation of installations

Le pavimentazioni a mosaico di ciottoli in Liguria. Il progetto di restauro conservativo del sagrato di Santa Chiara in San Martino d’Albaro a Genova dall’analisi all’intervento.

Pebble mosaics in Liguria, though their acknowledged historical and estethical values, have not been accurately studied and maintained. Only recently the University of Genoa, substained by Province of Genoa, has analysed these manufacts to preserve them. These studies point out how is important to quanto define and apply a specific methodology to analyse and intervene on these historical pavements, to maintain and restore them respecting their original features such as structures, compositions, materials and esecutive techniques.

This paper speaks about a conservative restore of an ancient pebble mosaic pavement (1654) in Genoa, trying to explain both from a methodological point of view (describing the analisys phases such as pre-diagnostic, MSR shots, decay analisys) and project, both with its applicative results, describing the techniques of intervention.

The “Sacro Monte della Beata Vergine del Soccorso”, in Ossuccio was created between 1635 and 1710, in the Lake of Como’s Oriental side. Ascension happens in a meditative course that integrates four systems: natural, micro-urban, architectural and figurative. Paving and walls constructive systems are individuated thanks to continuous comparisons between observations in place and researches in archives and in published works. It is possible to state that the paving is still the one constructed in 1700-1705, with little local replacements.

Causes of paving decay have been studied: they are connected with a disrespectful use of site and lack of maintenance.

Some guidelines for paving conservation and improving usability are specified. Every decision is based on the criterion of minimum intervention, connected with the needs, first of functional and effectual project, second of preservation of traditional materials and constructive techniques.

La Cappuccina Nuova di Villa Sottocasa in Vimercate - Interventi di sovrammissione delle pavimentazioni dal XVII al XIX secolo: conservazione delle stratificazioni e restauro delle superfici.

The analysis of preservation site as a chance to verify data and hypothesis arisen during the phase of historical research permitted a diachronic reading of stratification of terracotta flooring and confirmed the archive documentation truthfulness.

This paper describes floor covering uniformity in the whole building and it focuses on use through centuries of traditional building techniques in new flooring realisation, as well as their foundation.

Moreover it is interesting to analyse the ways with which, in the XIX Century, facing a change in the use requirements, terracotta tiles were abandoned in favour of “modern” technique and more precious material: a new flooring made of two-coloured wood fillets was overlayed on the terracotta flooring.

Techniques and materials conservation passes through: maintenance of the archaeological traces; restoration of original terracotta tiles removed; treatment of all floorings surface and specific intervention on wooden flooring. All these operations have to be compatible both with traditional building techniques and with needs of maintenance, in current meaning of planned conservation.

La conservazione della pavimentazione rinascimentale della Loggia del Romanino al Castello del Buonconsiglio.

The Loggia del Romanino at Buonconsiglio Castle, famous for its precious cycle of frescos, is also important for the essential architecture in red and white local calcareous stone: the floor in this part of the castle, owing to the central position of this area, remains one of the zones of major transit and is consequently subject of deterioration through use as well as ageing.

For this reason, the study of this area, in relation to the restoration of the stone arrays of the loggia, has become part of a programme of maintenance and restoration of the floor which reflects the magnificent decorative display of frescos.

The tests now in progress are meant to experiment inorganic, compatible and renewabe on the basis of analysis of stone materials used and in consideration of problems related to common organic protective agents.

Buonconsiglio Castle; Loggia del Romanino; Ammonite red; Verdello; Ammonium Oxalate..

Die wiederentdeckung einer verlorenen materialkultur: hochbrand-gipsböden in Sachsen-Anhalt zwischen konservierung, restaurierung und rekonstruktion

“La riscoperta di una cultura materiale persa: i pavimenti di gesso anidrite Sachsen-Anhalt tra conservazione, restauro e ricostruzione.”

In the region of Sachsen-Anhalt a lot of historical hard plaster gypsum floors have overcome until today. The production of high calcinated gypsum has been going on until the 1960s. With the end of the production also the repair tradition of hard plaster gypsum floors stopped or other noncompatible materials have been uesed. The article will show some points of the research in Germany about this floor material and the use of new burnt high calcinated gypsum for the restauration and the repair of old hard plaster gypsum floors.

gypsum, anhydrite, high calcinated gypsum, hard plaster floors, gypsum mortars, stucco

Esempi di conservazione e trattamento di pavimenti storici in edifici religiosi. Soluzione del problema dell’umidità attraverso il drenaggio e ventilazione sotto i pavimenti.

Moisture is the main problem affecting the churches protected by the Direcção Regional dos Edificios e Monumentos Nacionais (DREMN), in the North of Portugal.

The main cause is the humid clime and soil of this area and the lack of natural ventilation connected to the sporadic use of these buildings.

The churches usually have local granite stone pavements, directly laid on the ground or over a nineteenth century cement mortar layer; somewhere also combined stone-wood pavements.

This presentation illustrates some projects and realisations by the DREMN, where the solution of moisture problems has been integrated with the conservation of the historic pavements.

After careful relief, survey and diagnosis, specific conservation proposals have been developed and adapted to each circumstance. They essentially focused on the realisation of a natural ventilation system.

Le pavimentazioni storiche Fermane: la ricerca storica e l’analisi dell’esistente per la conservazione e manutenzione.

Fermo is a pre-Roman town which has been one of the most important centres of the southern Marche for a long time. It is also characterised by a close-packed and stratified building structure that is enriched by historic pavements which deserve a higher degree of attention and preservation. The present paper aims at describing the development of the different typologies, materials and techniques for laying brickwork through an unpublished in-depth historical research we have carried out on documents belonging to the State Archives in Fermo.The paper also presents a classification and analysis concerning the preservation conditions of these valuable pavements. Their actual status mainly depends on the poor quality of conservation actions which do not respect traditional materials and techniques (i.e. a very refined dry laying that also allowed the conservation of the overall hydrogeological equilibrium of the hill). Consequently, historic pavements are denied their leading role as one of the aspects that enhance the urban quality of the town.

historical research; brick pavements; squared-stone pavements; cobble pavements; quality of conservation; cataloguing methodology.

Pavimenti alla Veneziana e a mosaico nei villini Boncompagni Ludovisi, attuale sede dell’Ambasciata degli Stati Uniti d’America a Roma.

The 19th century Venetian terrazzo floors framed by decorative mosaic bands, which are the object of this contribution, are located inside the two villas that today are a part of the United States Embassy in Rome. The main building and the twin villas were built by Prince Rodolfo Boncompagni Ludovisi between 1886 and 1890, on the project and under the direction of Gaetano Koch on the site of the ancient Villa Ludovisi. The villas have changed their function in the course of time, being born as residences, then transformed in hospitals and finally into offices, with consequent deterioration of the original finishes and carpeting of the floors. The “rediscovery” of the original floors and the conservation project aimed at the restoration of the floors in their material aspect and in their functionality, taking into consideration that the rooms would continue to function as office spaces. The problems connected to the use of the floors led, in the planning phase and during the project, to methodological choices, which combined conservation, practical use and knowledge of the original techniques. In this regard, the comparison with the documentary evidence found in the family archives is particularly interesting. The protection and maintenance of these floors is a particularly engaging topic, considering the condition of the terrazzo and the impact resulting from the daily use of the rooms as modern office spaces. A few years after the first treatment the results of the restoration could be evaluated and new restoration techniques could be introduced to improve its effectiveness.

Un sistema storico di pavimentazione di interni, funzionale ad una salubre fruizione dell’edificio ed alla sua conservazione materiale.

The historical interior floorings are sometimes considered like parts that can be disassembled from architectonic whole and are mainly analysed for the some major aspect related to the materials they are made of. Some flooring systems cannot be analysed with this methods, because their own structure is a main element of the architectonic whole, not only as an historical/aesthetic unity of materials, but mainly for its functional preservating features of the structure itself. This study analyses the site of Voskopojë (Albania, Korça), where 5/26 churches of the post Byzantine age, have been built. During the ongoing safeguard and European projects a very complex system of flooring has been discovered in 3 of the above mentioned churches. This system, besides the upper flooring includes drains.

Albany, Voskopojë, church architecture, post Byzantine age, flooring, conservation, water drains

Conoscenza e diagnostica per il progetto di conservazione delle pavimentazioni maiolicate. Applicazione di un sistema d’indagini non distruttive sulle “riggiole” di Attanasio nel palazzo Comitini a Palermo.

Floorings made in majolica tiles are frequently requested in the noble’s palaces, in churches and convents since the end of the XVIII century, but ancient documents reveals that the demands of painted enamelware and tiles begins since XV century in Sicily, with many cultural interactions with Faenza, Vietri and Naples. In the XVIII century the construction of sumptuous palaces starts after the destruction due to earthquakes in Palermo and artisan laboratories of Palermo and Naples provided painted tiles of majolica introduced in the salons and in the most important rooms. The essay also introduces the results of chemical and physical analysis of tiles and above all non destructive tests on tiles pavements implemented with surface penetrating radar, and ultrasonic survey. The indirect investigation of the Comitini palace’s flooring is conducted by the experimental method developed by the research laboratory L.I.R.B.A. “Salvatore Boscarino” of “Storia e Progetto nell’Architettura” Department (University of Palermo).

enamelled clay, majolica tiles, flooring, ultrasonic survey, radar investigation.

Note storico-tecniche sui pavimenti in “Litocemento armato effetto mosaico” dei Fratelli Peluso di Lecce: materiali costituenti, produzione e conservazione.

Between 1890 and 1935, the factory run by brothers Michele and Giuseppe Peluso in Lecce produced numerous mosaic floors for some of the most distinguished mansions, villas and churches of the Salento. In 1904 they patented a system for producing floors with the technique known as “Reinforced Litho-concrete with a mosaic effect”, which they had been experimenting with since the end of the nineteenth century. This paper presents the results of a study carried out in the national and church archives with the aim of finding out about the execution techniques and cataloguing their production of mosaics. In addition, the constituent materials of certain floors have been studied, and the conservation issues encountered, especially in environments used by the public and most exposed to processes of decay, are highlighted.

historical floorings, “litocemento”, mosaic, execution tecniques, reinforced litho-concrete, idustrial achaeology

This paper arose from the need to disseminate knowledge of the history and the production techniques of polychrome cement floor-tiles, given that until now these have been appreciated only from a functional and utilitarian point of view, while their historic and cultural value has tended to be neglected. The joint analysis of the product and the production process has enabled us to show how these cement floor-tiles, which began to be produced in the later decades of the nineteenth century, as well as reflecting the socio-cultural and artistic changes that took place in those years, are the fruit of a slow but continuous evolution of ancient flooring techniques that employed similar materials and methods of execution. Clearly, every productive process and its product are destined for obsolescence at some stage, which will depend on technical, economic, ecological and social factors, and the knowledge relating to a product/process that has been abandoned will form the basis of new inventions. It is precisely in this way that we have progressed from the primordial technique of gravel flooring to the various forms of mosaic, and from this to inlaid stone and marble. Between 1500 and 1600 inlaid stone was superseded by the random mosaic seminato flooring technique, also known as Venetian or Palladian flooring. Subsequently, with the discovery of cement, seminato underwent firstly technical modifications and then, with the rise of machines, fell from favour and was replaced by polychrome cement floor-tiles of various kinds.

historical floorings, polychrome cement floor-tiles, constructive practce, industrial archaeology

Il destino delle pavimentazioni Liberty nell'architettura gardesana di inizio secolo: il caso dell'hotel Laurin a Salo'.

In this article we would like to present our study regarding a building called Villa Simonini, which lies near Lake Garda and dates back to the beginning of the 20th century it was designed by the architect Ulisse Stacchini and now it is called Hotel Laurin. The conservation of the original floors inside the rooms and outside in the gardens and terraces was guaranteed through frequent maintenance work. The floors are composed of tiles mark of coloured cement, wood, ceramic tessera, Venetian seminato. We would like to describe both the laying techniques, the original materials, and the ways and means used to lead the maintenance work. So we analysed the products used and the methods of the intervention to reintegrate the damaged parts and those transform the Villa into a Hotel.

Repertorio delle pavimentazioni storiche in Puglia: il rapporto tra conoscenza e conservazione in Terra di Bari e nel Salento.

Authors, through this research, want to present a selection of the most diffused floors in Terra di Bari and in Salento, which characterize private buildings and public space. The aim is knowledge of the constructive techniques, the materials and the using ways of different floors. Stone supplying is simple because of the diffusion of quarries, so we find floors made with local stones: Pietra di Trani in Terra di Bari and Pietra Leccese and Tufo in Salento, cut down as slabs. Other floors were made by ceramics and during the XIX century, decorated cement tiles become very popular, as the mosaic floors with cement. A final consideration is that knowledge is necessary to preserve ancient floors, in order to avoid easy changes and removals.

historical floors in Puglia, stone floors, constructive techniques, knowledge, conservation.

Effetti della temperatura superficiale della pavimentazione sul degrado dei rivestimenti e sul microclima.

Thermal anomalies of sufaces imply risk factors for their conservation at severe ambient condition (high RH and low air temperature), without HVAC system.

Evaluation of thermal unbalance of the surface, has to take in account daily and seasonal climatic variations, because of their affection on the microlimate inside the building. Monitoring is the best pratice for measuring such variations and their effects on structures.

Temperature of paving affects temperature distribution at the basis of masonry: without this contact, different materials of masonry and their location over the ground should ensure a higher temperaure distribution than the floor’s one. Moreover, also the air layers, near to the colder paving, have a lower temperature and this affects temperature distribution of the air layers, increasing the elevation.

The paper describes testing procedures for verifying thermal umbalance of surfaces, and the evaluation of real condition of risk for damage.

Condensation, evaporation, plaster, masonry, paving, cold side, RH, air Temperature

Si analizza il comportamento di una pavimentazione realizzata nei primissimi anni del novecento che ha manifestato, nel tempo, fenomeni diffusi di distacco rispetto allo strato di sottofondo. Dopo oltre un secolo dalla posa si è verificato, poi, il sollevamento di una parte cospicua della pavimentazione rispetto al sottofondo. Nel seguito si approfondiscono alcune problematiche connesse ai problemi di distacco, di scorrimento e di sollevamento tra rivestimento e strato di posa al fine di fornire un utile contributo ad una miglior comprensione del fenomeno verificatosi. Ci si sofferma, in particolare, sulle sollecitazioni tangenziali che nascono all’interfaccia tra piastrella e caldana per effetto dei differenziali termici dovuti al soleggiamento parziale, presentando una modellazione numerica agli elementi finiti del comportamento della pavimentazione; si cerca, poi, di fornire una spiegazione che giustifichi il manifestarsi del fenomeno di sollevamento in una pavimentazione che non aveva mostrato segni premonitori visibili per tante decine di anni.

Chemical and mineralogical investigations have been carried out in order to characterize the ceramic body, glazed coating and pigments of tiles of Apulian majolica floors. Materials have been investigated using polarized light microscopy on thin sections, Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-ray Fluorescence and X-ray powder diffraction. Our interest to majolica tiles begins from a study, carried out ten years ago, on a majolica-tiled floor of the castle chapel at Palagianello, near Taranto (southern Italy). Majolica tiles of this floor, made at Laterza, near Taranto, in the second quarter of the 18th century, show decorative drawings in blue and yellow. Si, Pb and Sn are the principal elements in the tin-glazed coatings. The yellow colour is due to a Sb-Si-Pb compound, blue to Co, Fe and As, with minor Ni. The mineralogical analyses of the ceramic body have revealed the presence of diopsidic pyroxenes and gehelenite, which allows us to estimate firing temperatures ranging from 850 to 1050 °C . Afterwards investigations have been carried out on majolica tiles coming from different tiled floors found at Laterza and Lecce belonging to 16th to 18th century. Significant differences in chemical composition of the ceramic body have been found, in agreement with the hypothesis of different Apulian production manufacture places.

Giacomo Casaril, Annalisa Gobbi, Leopoldo Repola, Carlo Sassetti, Fioravante Vignone

Dal modello digitale al modello reale. Il progetto per lo studio e la ricomposizione del pavimento in opus sectile della cappella di Santa Restituta nel sito archeologico di San Vincenzo al Volturno (IS).

A preliminary project for the study and re-composition in opus sectile of the floor in the chapel of Saint Restituta (XI-XII cent.) has been elaborated within the scope of the research and preservation activities concerning the archaeological site and related components that have emerged pertaining to the early Medieval abbey of St. Vincent in Volturno (Isernia, Molise). Such activities were jointly organized by the Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici for the Region of Molise and the Università Suor Orsola Benincasa in Naples. The project’s objective is the restoration of chapel’s floor bedding as well as the reconstruction of the decorative floor design in the nave through the re-composition of fragments salvaged during the excavations. The operation will be carried out through the application of 3D laser scanner technology and Rapid Prototyping, with which, by means of digital elaborations and mathematical models, it will be possible to create a virtual model in resin of the imprint of the flooring upon which the recovered slabs and tesserae can be placed. Through the same methodology and thanks to the identification of their exact form in the negative, copies of the sectilia and lost tesserae can be obtained. The recomposition of the recovered material upon the model will make possible a faithful reproduction of the object of interest while avoiding any alteration or damage to the original which remains in situ.

Sectile pavement, Tridimentional Laser Scanner, Subtractive Rapid Prototyping, Reverse Engeneering

Il restauro conservativo della pavimentazione maiolicata della chiesa di San Michele in Anacapri.

The big floor of the Church of St. Michael in Anacapri, on the gulf of Naples, is one of the best examples of eighteenth-century majolica art.

The restoration entailed the solution of problems related to its preservation in time, considering the frail material and the extensive use of the monument.

Studio e conservazione delle antiche pavimentazioni nelle chiese di S. Paolo e S. Giovanni a Bitonto e nella Grotta di S. Oronzo a Turi (Bari).

Some study and project experiences on the restoration of Apulian religious building ancient floors show significant data on this argoment. The first case relates to the Church of San Paolo Apostolo in Bitonto (near Bari), in whose palimpsest one can recognize a peculiar stratification of majolica tiles and calcareous paving-stones from different time. There are similar floors in the ancient Church of San Giovanni ad Muros, in Bitonto, where, moreover, samples of archaeological excavations find further medieval paving-stone surfaces. Starting from the materical study of paving elements and specific problems of the case (gaps, trims, tablets,...) the conservation project arranges targeted reintegrations and the introduction of a sub-pavimental diaphragm to enable the vision of the underlying ancient pavement. In the Church of Grotta di Sant’Oronzo in Turi (near Bari) there is an important eighteenth-century floor which is constituted of 238 different majolica tiles. This church was built on a calcareous cavern (where there is the majolica paving) and which on one hand protects the floor from umidity, on the other hand it prevents the physiological drip of the cave, so essential to its environmental balance. To restore its life-support conditions means to let water destroy the floor. As a consequence the question is to preserve the cavern or the paving. A recent geological investigation has discovered a tunnel under the floor, that will be used to get a system of dehumidifying of the base of majolica tiles.

Restoration of historical architecture. Conservation of ancient floors. Constructive techniques. Investigation on traditional pavings. Architetcture and materials. Restoration and archaeology.

In Southern Sicily, between XVII and the beginning of XX century, many religious and civilian buildings of the County of Modica were decorated by bicolour floors made with the combination of white and black limestone. The latter is an asphalt impregnate limestone (usually called pitch stone), easily workable and mined in the large number of quarries of the area.

The floors were made usually with a white stone background and inlaid black stone decorations, but a few examples of black background floors survive too.

The recurring decoration themes were generally vegetable and floral, kept in geometrical patterns. Each flooring is unique and the decoration is never repeated, thanks to skilled workers which were able to realize these extraordinary handmade floors. Their conservation problems, besides the typical inlaid floor problems, depend on the decay of the organic part impregnating the stone, whose oxidation whitens the floor.

Le ville storiche romane e le pavimentazioni: le “cordonate” tra materiali tradizionali, inserti eterogenei e problemi di conservazione.

The most commun material used for roads and paths in the historical roman gardens is the gravel. In case of different levels of the ground, we observe some particular stairs, called “cordonate”, which present floors with specific designs maken by bricks, cobbled surfaces, porphid cubes called “sampietrini” and other different materials. In the general opinion the “cordonate” don’t been considereted like cultural heritage and they are destroyed. But now the knowledge on their historical and artistic meaning takes to restauration of them at Villa Doria Pamphilj for the Jubilee of 2000 and it’s already the project for the “cordonate” of the roman Villa Carpegna.

Aspetti tecnologici e significato storico-artistico del pavimento in ceramica della chiesa di San Francesco (Deruta, 1524): risultati di uno studio petroarcheometrico.

The floor of S. Francesco Church is considered the masterpiece of derutese majolica, cause of aspects that make it unique with respect to the rest of the ceramic production. The aim of this work is to point out these particular aspects. The study is focused on historical-artistical floor features, by the light of recent discoveries made by expert researchers, and on material features used to make the tiles. A comparison with different raw materials and with local ceramic finds highlighted analogies and differences, and allowed some hypothesis on provenance of raw material and techniques of production of this floor.

Romans used to warm public buildings by hypocaust since 1st century a.c. and we have famous examples at Ostia, Pompei, Weissenburg. The idea of the warm floor was employed again since 19th century as proper confirmation of neoclassical style and sophisticated application for metal pipes. Warming and ventilation proceed together according to the old idea of comfort strictly connected to renewed air. The main examples have been described by technical handbooks in Germany and England and, later, in Italy.

During last century hypocaust changed in radiating panels and was widely employed for monuments restoration too while, presently, the problem of their conservation begins.

Pavimentazioni nella Villa Rabboni–Cassini (Sant’Agostino, FE). Piastrelle in graniglia ed altri pavimenti interni di un’architettura tra fine Ottocento e primi Novecento.

Rabboni-Cassini’s Villa, in Sant’Agostino near Ferrara, was built in 1882 and was enlarged in 1911: the two building phases were characterized by a series of floorings, different for material; these pavements are one of the most value of the building.

Some interesting are the grit floorings, too fine, realized in 1911, situated in nine rooms of the villa. The floorings are produced with different drawing’s bricks characterized by rich and bright colours. The geometric and chromatic result was obtained thanks to an elaborate productive technique: the fine grit’s mixture, composed with concrete and coloured loam, was plastered into moulds, through the use of stones combined with cement.

In Rabboni-Cassini’s Villa are also present two valuable wooden floorings and some terracotta’s pavements.

: In Nora, roman city nearby Cagliari, was collected very few documentation during the 10 years of archaeological excavation. The discovered structures have been restored and consolidated towards the end of the Sixties. The project pointed out to make the site accessible as a resource for tourism. Works have been made upon the rich mosaics of Severian Age, to give them back the visibility in situ: some of them were risen, to restore them with reinforced concrete, while, for others, the lacunas were filled with cement. In the next 40 years, the works made on these structures showed great limits by the technological-conservative and archaeological point of view. More than the damage caused by atmospheric agents on the pavements left uncovered, what compromised the stratigraphic value of the pavements was the removal and the recollocation. To get round to this loss of information the Università degli Studi of Milan tries to rebuilt the evolution of the single constructions searching strips of pavement that haven’t been touched by the works for the restoration, mapping the ornamental pattern thought photogrammetry and elaborating it in the context of the building using total station and CAD. In fact some of the changes of the patterns-theme in the floral-geometric type were given by modifications brought to building during the ages.

In XVIth century two colour bricks made more precious traditional brick floors. In Florence, the technique was employed in the floors of Biblioteca Mediceo Laurenziana (1552-53), based on Tribolo’s design, of Grotticina di Madama in Boboli Gardens (1555), and later in the Monumental Apartments in Palazzo Vecchio, where many floors were made by Sante Buglioni, as stated by archival documents. The latter floors have been studied, starting from a detailed metric survey and developing the analysis of Renaissance decoration patterns, execution techniques, mineralogic and chemical composition of the material. Two kinds of brick, different in composition, colour and hardness, have been found: red brick, from Impruneta, used as background, and ochre-whitish brick, often rosy, in decorations. Specimens of both colour bricks from the floors of Cosimo the Older and Leone X Rooms in Palazzo Vecchio have been analysed. The first matter of red brick was detected in clays from Arno Valley; whitish bricks, with a high rate of CaO and probably made from an artificial mix, resulted chemically very similar to white core ceramics made in Montelupo Fiorentino in XVth century.

Florence, Palazzo Vecchio, Sante Buglioni, Cosimo I, XVI Century Floors, Brick Floors, Bi-Coloured Brick Floors

It is known that the first floor cosmatesco has been realized in Italy at the end of the XI century, between the 1066 and the 1071, when the Abbot of Montecassino invited some workers of marble, coming from Costantinopoli, to build a new floor in the Cathedral. The floor cosmatesco realized in S. Pietro in Vinculis (XII century), in Pisa is certainly the most valuable and ancient and is further very well preserved. The marble that composes this floor is even “reused” and a part of it come from roman factories. Today the attention is mainly focused on its preservation and use.

In the history of construction, we can notice the wide use of cotto for the floors. To this uniformity of the material does not correspond that of dimensions, shapes and variety of colours and, especially from the middle of the Eighteenth century, new types of cotto come into use, getting a quick success for the better performances in order of resistance and appearance. The case of Cremona will be analysed through the descriptions of the buildings, the contracts of construction and the interesting correspondence between a patron and the producer of the famous “cotto del Conte Lana”.

Cremona, bulidings descriptions, contracts of construction, tavelle, conte Lana

The original Cremona floorings of the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries are almost all disappeared with the exception of a few cases. Nevertheless the archive research has brought to light precious information contained in the construction books and contracts. Even the “Ordini per i misuratori” of the city of Cremona of 1590 and the information reported by Alessandro Capra in its“Geometria Famigliare” of 1671 give us a general picture - although not exhaustive – of Cremona floorings. The study of these documentary sources has allowed to identify the flooring typologies employed by the Renaissance architecture and to compare them with the few examples survived until today. The most common floorings were composed by squared brickworks (“madoni”), in some cases cut and dressed as to create geometrical patterns, treated with oils and paints in order to obtain polychrome elements. There were special floorings done in terracotta tiles at two layers or with the perimetric bricks embedded in the walls – for service rooms or spaces with a specific use - while floorings done in “pietre feragne” placed “di coltello”, or “salicature” of cobblestone were used on the outside. The stony floorings were absolutely rare and dedicated to buildings of higher monumentality like the Cathedral and the College of Nobles.

Cremona floorigs, Renaissance architecture, historical construction, archive research, XV-XVII centuries.

Le pavimentazioni storiche del Palazzo Reale di Genova. Storia Tecniche problemi di conservazione.

Palazzo Reale (The Royal Palace) was built by the Genoese nobleman Stefano Balbi between 1643 and 1655. The residence then underwent successive phases of architectural extension and enrichment of decorations, in particular after it became property of the Durazzo family in the late 17th century. ìIn 1824 the sumptuous residence was acquired by the Savoia family, thus becoming the Royal Palace in Genoa. Consequently, the Palace underwent various decorative phases during its 350 years’ life: the floors of the piano nobile (main floor) halls and the mezzanines show an extreme variety of types of construction and decoration, evidencing how the taste changed in the course of time and the different uses of the rooms. The historic floors of Palazzo Reale may essentially be grouped into four categories: granolithic floors, wooden inlay floors, marble inlay floors, pebble mosaic floorings in the gardens.

granolithic floors, wooden inlay floors, marble inlay floors, pebble mosaic floorings, Henry Peters, Graniglia, Savoia, Genova, Palazzo Reale.

Le mattonelle in cemento nelle pavimentazioni degli spazi pubblici in Piemonte. La produzione tra Otto e Novecento: temi per la conservazione.

The essay looks at the problems list to the maintenance of the floorings in cement tiles, proper to be used either in new or in consolidated contexts, complex for the nature of the material and for the particular building technique often, by now, obsolete. These floorings have often been underestimated because not appreciate, despite their great qualities, as it shows their diffused employment in the public spaces: for instance, in Turin in some lines of the porticos of Via Pietro Micca or of Via Sacchi. They were diffusedly employed besides in a lot of meaningful churches of the architecture at the end of 19th century and beginning of 20th, as, for instance, the Crescentino Caselli chapel inside the hospice of Charity or the Carlo Ceppi Holy Heart of Maria church. The missed recognition of their values has often caused their demolition, with an incongruous substitution with material amiss held more “proper”, when, instead, the cement tiles were wisely been used for different restaurations in substitution of brickwork by now irrecoverable, for instance in the St. Pietro in Vincoli church in Settimo torinese. The essay intends to broadly confirm this diffused technique, that has been publicized by albums and treatments at the beginning of 20th century.

Cement flooring, cement tiles, building technique, albums, treatments, Piedmont, XIX-XXth century, conservation.

Architetture di sacrificio: le alterne fortune del pavimento cosmatesco nella chiesa della SS. Annunziata dell’Arciconfraternita degli Ottimati a Reggio Calabria (1908-1934).

The proposed study is placed in continuity with an essay, already published, inherent the reconstruction of the city of Reggio Calabria as a result of the earthquake of 1908 with particular reference to the complex, how much singular vicissitude dealing with the demolition of the church of SS. Annunziata degli Ottimati - conserved perfectly integral in spite of the telluric event - and the rescue of the precious cosmatesco pavement that adorned it. The pavement was detached and re-used, some years later, in a new church purposely built up in order to accommodate it.

In particular, this new study - taking a line of the thematic of the convention - intend to inquire those aspects dealing with the ancient paving. It analyzes, on one side, the cognitive aspects in order to materials and techniques. From the other side this study inquires the vicissitudes of the pavement from the delicate phase of the taking apart (in 1917) - moreover very documented - until the contemporary use. It is an atypical case of recovery that does not imply - common destiny more rather to the artistic materials collected in the difficult moment of reconstruction - the choice of the usual exposition but, more rather, the re-use (even though nearly twenty years later) in a new church with all that involves in terms of adaptation to the new space and also in terms of compatibility with the new way of use.

This contribution deals with traditional “ abruzzesi” pavings theme, checked in the context of the various regional culture and considering the way to carry out and get under way in connection with them. The difference among external pavings, “ semiinternal” or internal ( flooring ) is relative to their different role public and / or private and to their preservation state because there is no relavant differences about technical data and material. If in the first case the research was carried out considering just a few pieces surviving the systematic renewal process occured during last century, for road condition requirements, and for shortage documents discovered , in the others , the persistence of a lot of models, though not always in optimal conditions, gave us many learning starting points, to call our attention to this subject which is so worthy of protection because to day it is not enough understood in consideration of its features as cultural resource.

Problematiche della pavimentazione musiva del corritoio della Grande Caccia della villa del Casale di Piazza Armerina.

Il Corridoio della Grande Caccia della Villa del Casale di Piazza Armerina è un lungo ambiente di circa 60 m caratterizzato da un mosaico pavimentale di straordinario valore per estensione, qualità tecnico-artistica e stato di conservazione. La porzione più a sud del Corridoio è interessata da un notevole cedimento fondazionale, che ha indotto distacchi dal substrato e formazione di soluzioni di discontinuità. La ricerca svolta ha portato a diagnosticare le cause del dissesto, mediante un dettagliato rilievo geometrico del sito, la ricostruzione delle vicende della fabbrica, la conoscenza delle tipologie di terreno, la ricostruzione delle alluvioni storiche che hanno interessato la Villa e le particolari modalità di regimentazione delle acque meteoriche al contorno. Per verificare l’ipotesi avanzata del dissesto durante la ricerca non solo si è proceduto alla determinazione numerica dei parametri geotecnici che devono aver caratterizzato quei terreni per produrre una tale deformazione, ma si è anche definito un protocollo ed una filiera di indagini diagnostiche non invasive, volte a definire le effettive caratteristiche geotecniche locali ed a rilevare la presenza del tubo fittile rotto. Lo studio si conclude con la proposta di un intervento conservativo, che, con la tecnica dello spingi-tubo, eliminerà la problematica, senza dover rimuovere o intaccare in alcun modo la pavimentazione musiva.

Misure spettrofotocolorimetriche su materiali pavimentali lapidei per la valutazione di un eventuale degrado.

The target of this research is to identify the colour variation of floor mosaic tessera of Cecilio Giocondo's and Marco Lucrezio's Pompeian houses and of Villa di Arianna in Castellamare di Stabia. Two areas, kept off from people walking, have been considered: one is continuously exposed to sunlight, the other one is always in shadow. The comparisons have been carried out on tessera of the reasonably same material and for long in the same situation. Here is also presented the methodology and the procedure for colour measure on lapideous mosaics.

The authors report the results of a study on the characterization of different kinds of biodeterioration processes affecting underwater floors in the archaeological area of Baia (Naples). Three different archaeological areas have been investigated at different dephts. The authors present a file card (SAMAS, Scheda Analitica per Manufatti Archeologici Subacquei – Analytical File for Underwater Archaeolological Artefatcts) for the characterization of biological populations. On this basis, the authors plan further conservation actions as well as a systematic monitoring and measurement of the development of colonizations.

underwater archaeological sites; Archaeological Underwater Park of Baia, Naples; Biodeterioration; Mosaics.

This article describes the restoration of the marble floor of the Rucellai Family Chapel in the Church of San Pancrazio (St. Pancras) in Florence, designed and built by Leon Battista Alberti in 1467.

Preparatory work for restoration included a complete new survey of the Chapel with a variety of measuring techniques, employing topography and photogrammetry instruments and high resolution scanning systems, such as laser scanners and millimeter resolution radar scanners to record the finer details.

Data collected from all sources were merged to produce a single 3D texture model of the complete Chapel structure. Topographical reference points were used to compose a digital photographic mosaic of the floor.

Restoration included removing part of the marble slabs, reinforcing them with frames, cleaning and returning them to their original position. Missing portions in ‘Serpentino’ elements (a green variety of marble from the Prato area) were reconstructed with another material.

The study is part of a research carried out on the characterization of biodeterioration of stoneworks caused by mosses and lichens. Observations of different archaeological pavements and mosaic floor of two sites of Italy, Ostia (RM) and Paestum (SA), showed that mortars, calcareous stones and bricks are easily colonized by lichens and mosses associated. These organisms cause physico-chemical and aesthetic alterations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role as biological weathering agents of these organisms and the dynamism of their growths on various substrata. Some correlations between microclimatic conditions and biodegradation were carried-out. In this work preliminary results on the biological development of lichens and mosses in archaeological areas are discussed.

biodeterioration, lichens, mosses, mosaic pavements, archaeological floors, Ostia Antica, Paestum.

Un pavimento musivo con emblema in opus sectile dall’Acropoli di Populonia: tecnica esecutiva e caratterizzazione dei materiali

In 2004, during archaeological excavations at Populonia, a mosaic pavement decorated by perspective cubes emblema in opus sectile, dated at the end of II century b.c., was discovered. The aim of this work is to examine the working technique and the petrographical analysis of constituent materials and support layers. The analysis carried out by polarized light microscopy allowed for the identification of marly and silicified limestones and white marble, likely to be of local provenance. The use of marble is significant because, according to archaeological literature, it would have been absent in these first examples of sectilia, made completely of poor materials as coloured limestones lime schists, marls, etc. The use of marble could be explained by its ready availability in the near Campiglia area where the existence a quarry (Campo alle Buche), already exploited in Ellenistic period, is documented.

Valutazione sperimentale di erbicidi per il trattamento di colonizzazioni di muschi su pavimentazioni musive.

Mosaics in outdoor archaeological sites are frequently colonized by photoautrophic organisms. Colonization process starts with a microbial biofilm formation and generally develops with the growth of bryophytes and higher plants. The flora plays an important role in the deterioration of the mosaics. Therefore it is necessary to control the biological growth. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness against mosses of two herbicides commonly used for the treatment of vegetation. The biocidal activity was evaluated by spectrophotometric chlorophyll a assay and visual observations in situ. The results are compared with the biocide effect of a quaternary ammonium compound. The investigation was carried out in the archaeological site of Ostia Antica (Rome) on three different mosaic pavements

mosaic pavements, biodeterioration, mosses, biocides, herbicides, Ostia Antica.

Aurora Cagnana, Serena Franceschi, Adelmo M. Lazzari, Massimiliano Lazzari, Domenico Ruma

Le pavimentazioni del complesso paleocristiano di San Martino di Ovaro (UD): dallo scavo alla valorizzazione.

Between 2000 end 2004 a great early Christian church (Vth cent. a. Ch.) was found near Tolmezzo (Udine), in the mittle of a Alpine valley. All over the useful surface was paved with coblestones and covered with a layer of mortar. After the cleaning and the restoration of the cobbled, a superposed floor of sheet of unbreakable glass was accomplished.

This communication intends to draw your attention on the works on the area called “complesso della cattedrale di Asti” that concern the restoration of the Saint Giovanni church and of the cloister of the “canonici” and on the creation of the cathedral’s museum. The works have contributed to defined the history of the churches of this area and to confirm the idea that the San Giovanni’s church was the first one to be built or, at least, that it was a co-cathedral. The archaeological site has brought to light a number of stratifications, amongst them some planking that we can place between the Roman era and the Dark ages. Such finds create a synergy with the will-be museum. Part of the planking is going to be preserved and put into view in the will-be museum (“lacerti” of the Roman mosaic –domus ecclesiae – and parts of the planking in “cocciopesto” tiles and the bowl of the apse of the South aisle of the XIII century), whereas other ones have been put into inventory first then removed (planking of a Roman street made of cobblestones) or preserved but covered to allow a better use of the areas of the will-be museum ( tiles in “cotto” in the San Giovanni’s church). This study wants to stress the aspects linked to the different choices we had to make in relation to the areas of the museum in order to decide if the finds were becoming part of the visit path or just preserved.

L’integrazione delle pavimentazioni a mosaico in ambito archeologico. Il Balneum nei Praedia Iuliae Felicis a Pompei.

The interest for “Archaeological restoration” brings to a direct contact with Pompeii and with a research program, in collaboration with the Faculty of Architecture of Ferrara and the Pompeii’s Archaeological Office, directed to Praedia Iuliae felicis ( Regio II, insula iv). This study has dealt with various aspects, from the historical research to the restoration plan oriented to do conservative restoration works and to carry out research to increase in value the Praedia through depth studies about a creation of teaching paths to allow the building use. Then the restoration project includes the replacement of mosaic floorings of two thermal rooms (tepidarium and balneum’s atrium). The planning choices are driven by principles of critical-conservative restoration, in particular by concept of lacuna: here we think of the floorings of balneum’s atrium and of tepidarium as an absence of architectural unit of the baths, so it’s essential the critical reconstruction of unit’s work.

We have proceeded with a depth study of historical models of Pompeian flooring’s typologies and materials, and it has brought to the knowledge of the thiasos mosaic of bath atrium and fornacator mosaic of tepidarium in a room of National Archaelogical Museum in Naples. From this discovery, we have decided to repropose a copy of the two mosaic; in particular, tepidarium’s floor will convert into a didactic presentation of classic thermal technique. Intervention wants to underline the importance of Pompeii site and it wants to underline the fine border line between Architecture and Archaelogy.

On site consolidation of a Byzantine mosaic pavement from Ramallah-el-Bireh, the Palestinian Territories.

The important Byzantine archaeological site from Kirbat Shuwayka is located close with the west of Tell en-Nasbeh (The mound of the idol), on the south side of the Ramallah-el-Bireh, the Administrative Center of the Palestinian Authority.

The archeological evidences which were discovered on the site indicate that most probably a monastic complex existed there, aspect confirmed by even its local name: Qasr al-Malika Helana (The Palace of the Queen Helana). It is thought the architectural remains discovered were mainly part of a monastery, a church, a house, a wine press, and a tomb. The majority of the rooms were paved with mosaics. The 148 mosaic floors of marble tesserae has a white background with a simple geometric design of intersecting diagonal lines in black, which form squares, with a simple flower inside of each of them. The archaeological relicts permitted to establish that this archaeological site is from the Late Byzantine Period (5th - 6th Centuries A.D.).

Our contribution will be focused on “in situ” mosaic consolidation of a mosaic pavement, during December 1994, as a part of the UNESCO Rotating Chair of the Archaeology Restoration, through the Palestinian-European-American Cooperation in Education (PEACE) Programme. Due to the difficulties to receive, by E-mail, a good quality of the photographic illustrations, we will be able to ensure some representative photos through our poster.

Byzantine mosaic pavements; “in situ” consolidation; financial problems; international support.

I pavimenti nella sala dell’ Hospitale Spagnolo al Castello Sforzesco di Milano.

The assay of the ground floor paving in Sforza’s Castle in Milano, in the hall that has been the ancient hospital, unearthed the floors which have been overlapped in time. In the meantime, the removal of superior layer meant to concern on the conservation of the most ancient layer, especially because of reuse of the hall. This paper shows the accomplished study, the project choices and their supporting reasons.

L'efficacia dello scavo archeologico nelle scelte metodologiche del restauro di superfici pavimentali antiche. Due cantieri del parmense: la chiesa di S. Maria Assunta a Fontanellato e la chiesa di S. Martino a Borgotaro.

For the restoration of an ancient floor, at ground level, archaeological excavation is necessary to identify the causes of degradation and to determinate the best way to proceed with the work of reconstruction. Excavation also provides the project with valuable historical materials and references. Good examples are provided by the two sites in the Province of Parma, described below. In the church of S.Maria Assunta in Fontanellato, the excavation located the main causes of decay in the brick floor.These were due to the subsidence of the floor and the partial obstruction of the drainage system in the brickwork passages. The floor was restored by creating a hollow space which allows air to circulate. In the church of S.Martino in Borgo Val di Taro, archaeological excavation, necessary for the consolidation and restoration of the building, brought to light antique stone floors. These had been hidden by inappropriate 20 ° century restoration, which has now been removed. The old stone floors have been restored and again visible.

excavation, Parma, Fontanellato, Borgo Val di Taro, church, brick floors, stone floors.

Abbiategrasso (MI), chiesa di Santa Maria Annunziata: un pavimento del XV secolo su arcate.

The original floor in the XVc church of Santa Maria Annunziata in Abbiategrasso is one of the most important findings carried out during the recent restoration of the whole monastery. This was built between 1469 and 1472, thanks to a vow of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan, for the Francescan Observants, according to a building pattern directly established by the Order itself.

This original floor lies in the secluded presbitery and it is supported by four underground vaults communicatings with one another, as well as with the outside, through some small openings, wich were already completely underground at the building time. These spaces are supposed to be related to the ventilation of the building foundations, as there are no architectural elements to relate such structures to a heating system, altrough there are some connections with the Roman traditional suspensurae system.

The four vaulted spaces are oriented crossward as to the church and occupy the whole presbitery area. This one, in turn, is divided into three different levels, each one marked by a different texture of the brickwork floor. The stools for the friars are supposed to have been placed in the perimetric area of the church, where some spaces are painted in dark colour on a light background.

Monastery, Franciscan Order, Abbiategrasso, Sforza, Seclusion area, Presbitery, Floor on underground vault, Ventilation

La fruizione sostenibile delle pavimentazioni storiche. Modalità per declinarne responsabilmente l’uso e la conservazione.

Researches concerning historical floor maintenance practices are usually few and incomplete. Many studies are interested only in protection of archaeological paving, floors hardly used in the past but now considered simply as historical surfaces. However a floor should be "used", not only "looked at".

This paper investigates damages to several types of flooring and proposes a different maintenance planning approach: in fact, assiduous users have to keep clean and efficient pavings in order to prevent breakdowns.

Through correct use, constant care and monitoring it should be possible to preserve historical flooring. The same approach is also suitable when proposing a compatible reuse, according to the current conservation state.

The conflict between use and conservation is easy to understand, however users should be considered not only responsible for the degradation but also warrantor for the maintenance. Only in a neglected state of the floor use will be dangerous for the building.

Finally, each intervention, cleaning included, must be planned with a systemic approach. This idea needs urgent attention both for now and for the future.

use/abuse, good practice, recommendations, maintenance planning, care, management of visitors

Processo di trasformazione nello stato di conservazione attraverso pavimentazioni in Iran.

Dagli studi sul tema delle pavimentazioni in rapporto alle scelte dei materiali, degli approcci e delle tecniche eseguite, all’impatto architettonico, ambientale e agli aspetti legati alla fruizione, l’articolo va dedicato tali pavimentazioni di valori storici. Si fa cenno ai lavori svolti dai francesi, italiani e iraniani in quattro siti dell’Iran a poter valutare aspetti conoscitivi e quelli applicativi. Dove sono mancati dei riferimenti più enerenti riguardante all’indirizzo di intervento nel campo di restauro, di conservazione e d’amnistrazione delle opere. Si cercherà riferire alle situazioni di tali opere e in relazione al loro stato d’esistenza e alla loro destinazione d’uso, specialmente le pavimentazioni che una volta svolgevano la loro funzione, ora pur continuano svolgimento ma in un ruolo diversa.

Dunque, la loro esistenza in un stato di critica, pavimenti che pur essendo di valore singolare, si rendono utilizzati in maniera moderna, come se fosse riproducible e di poco valore. Oggi, con i mezzi e le facilità c’è una crescità del flusso di viaggiatori curiosi con il incremento di fruizione legato all’industria del turismo. Allora, dalle ricerche approfondite di carattere valutativo sul significato delle pavimentazioni tradizionali e sulle scelte conservazione, restauro, tipo re-integrativo, ri-uso, carico di visitatori turistici etc, si va alla straficazione delle cose in un complesso situazione legata al contesto, di dei materiali originari, trasformazioni e dei requisiti relativi al fine di stesura esemplari da protocollo di intesa per i lavori connessi, come linea di guida alla scala decisiva.

L’articolo potrebbe offrire un contributo alla conoscenza dello sviluppo storico del restauro, tecniche esecutive, dei materiali, del processo e comportamento, dell’uso e della durata nel tempo tipologie dei pavimentazioni storiche nellle loro diversità tipologica. Riferimenti si faranno agli spazi architettonici interni ed esterni, come delle esperienze svolte nei tempi, prima delle guerre. In cui, il contributo vorrebbe costituire un carattere originale di approfondimento al tema con la scansione per mettere a punto quelli aspetti di ruolo delle pavimentazioni nei centri Susa, Apadana, Acropoli, Sultaniè e Gulistan in Iran venendo materiali e lavorazioni, valutazione e controllo di interventi effettuati dai francesi come Andrè Godard, italiani (come Sampaolesi) e gli iraniani (come Kasai) valutando lo stato di degrado, compatibilità con le forme d’uso moderne con i criteri di decisione per la conservazione interventi di sovrammissione, re-integrazione, sostituzione, imitazione, la conoscenza degli sperimenti di materiali, e tecnologie incompattibili per la conservazione e durabilità e manutenzione prevista e correlata al bene. Nell’articolo si verifica rilettura di assi a rappresentare l’influenza critica fatta per la conservazione e dei valori di pavimentazioni sulle questioni in Iran.

Susa, Sultanieh, Pavement, Floor, Kaf Sazi, Iranian Architecture, Sasanide, Ilkhanide & Architectural Conservation

Adhering to the indications in the literature (especially the Digest), art critics generally speak of three basic types of Roman roads (dirt, gravel, and paving stone). However, archaeological documentation allows us to expand the range of road types. The existence of cobblestone roads has been demonstrated, for example, and wooden plank or tile roads have also been uncovered. The use of the different techniques depended not only on the natural resources and funds available, but also on the type of natural environment where the road would pass and on the volume and type (foot, animal, carriage) of traffic. The high traffic around cities required very durable roadways such as those made with large paving stones, and even within this single type there was a broad variety of possible construction techniques.

During the V-VI centuries, Ravenna was a very important city. From 402 Ravenna was the last imperial capital of the Western Roman Empire, then, in 493, the capital of the kingdom of Theoderic, and then, with the reintegration of Italy into the Eastern Empire, the capital of what remained of the Byzantine areas of Italy, later known as the Exarchate. Archaeological and documentary evidence indicates that the buildings constructed in Ravenna during the two centuries had often marble floors. The marble floors are one of the least known aspect of the ancient Ravenna’s monuments. This study collects a short catalogue of the Ravenna’s marble floors we know from documentary and archeological sources and specially the one of the Orthodox and Arian Baptisteries, of the churches of S. Giovanni Evangelista, S. Francesco (Apostoleion), S. Croce, S. Apollinare Nuovo, S. Vitale, of the Classe’s cathedral (Basilica Petriana), and of the tomb of the king Theoderich.

Pavimentazioni stradali in pietra: il contributo del Georadar nella diagnosi del degrado.

Cobblestone road pavement is valuable both aesthetically and historically to such an extent that it is often protected by the law. It is still to be found in many Italian historical towns, which, thanks to its ancient origin, is to be considered artistic heritage and therefore it should be preserved. On the other hand, structural degradation of road pavements, included the cobblestone one, is a threat to traffic safety. Defects or damages in the road surface make driving uncomfortable and increase the likelihood of accidents.

The present paper had the purpose to validate the use of the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), as non destructive testing, in finding correlations between the type of stone surface, the traffic load, the road surface degradation.

For this purpose a GPR investigation (1600 and 600 MHz radar antennas) has been conducted on 15 cobblestone road pavements located in the medieval centre of L’Aquila (Abruzzi Region). Both qualitative (anomalies on radar scans) and quantitative analyses (curves of radar signal attenuation with depth) were carried out. The analysis of 1600 MHz radar scans showed a good correlations between the above-mentioned variables and the surface pavement degradation. Moreover the 600 MHz radar scans evidenced that the highest decayed surface pavement areas and the underground technological networks are located in the same position, so demonstrating that the trench digging is the main cause of the decay. Through GPR investigation it seems possible to optimise the execution of building and preservation of cobblestone road pavements.

Cobblestone, road pavement, decayed road pavement, road maintenance, GPR investigation.

Le pavimentazioni stradali della tradizione storica nella citta’ di Pavia: materiali, tecniche esecutive e conservazione.

The restauration and the maintenance of ancient streets pavements in Pavia presents tough interpretative and operative problems. The matter/texture features are the starting point in the historical records and they can be traced back with highest fidelity and confidence. This preliminary study starts from an overall historical remind and goes through the technical details supportive to potential sound technical interventions.

historical pavements, cobblestones surfaces, paving stones typology, surface deterioration

Un osservatorio sul degrado delle pavimentazioni storiche. Il caso delle corti di Ortigia.

The evaluation of the conditions of some technical elements or of the entire building is a fundamental step to decide the necessary interventions. Data concerning the materials, the shapes, the area surrounding the object of the study and its use, are also important to the recovery project.

The recovery of the historical floors, realised with different techniques that depended on their importance, their use and the economic possibilities of the payer, need a special care, in particular when we examine those of the inner courts of some important historical buildings in Ortigia.

These floors, realised with natural local materials and stones, should be mentioned for their beauty and their value and it is therefore necessary to examine carefully their structure, their construction techniques and their conservation in order to plan a recovery intervention.

recovery, degradation, historical floor, interventions, re-qualification, conservation, decay evolution, natural stone.

L'importanza del cromatismo nei pavimenti, come nesso di unione fra ieri e oggi.

From the different treatments that are carried out in one restoration, we focus this article in the results achieved by the materialization of the realized investigations inside the section of colour retouching in archaeological works.

One of our maximum concerns about the restorative processes, is the colour retouching of the pieces, because it supposes the definitive step before the work is exposed. In relation with this result depends not only the historical valuation that is made of the work itself, but also the interpretation and meaning of its use. The final objective of any restoration is generally the exhibition in a museum. Therefore, the fundamental thing in any intervention is that the visualization that the spectator carries out on the ceramic be objective, so that it considers as important the form and the historical valuation of the piece, and that through a second reading, can be differentiated easily between the original piece and the realized restoration. In order to this, the techniques and products that we use allow us to consider every type of works without depending on which be his location, both, external and internal, and on its expositive system, guaranteeing this way, at every moment the stability of both, the realized intervention and the work.

la Strada Nova: la scala Santa Maria del Monte in Caltagirone tra riqualificazione urbana e restauro.

The paper deals with the most important monument of Caltagirone: Santa Maria del Monte Staircase, a way between Townhall Square and the ancient Chiesa della Matrice. It becaame the symbol of the image of a city considered one of the marvels in Val di Noto, that is part of the UNESCO World Heritage.

The strada nova underlines the continuity between the ancient part of the city and the new one; it was built in 1606, restored after the 1693 earthquake and restyled more than once in XIX and XX centuries.

The study aims to show the role and the sense of the technical and strategic appropriate choices in restoration projects.

The last project was a real innovation, that improved the visual message through the use of the traditional ceramics elements: this work settles urban identity preservation questions, maintenability and durability issues, technological performances control.

Caltagirone, urban rehabilitation, materials, recovery technologies, performance control.

La fruizione e la conservazione delle pavimentazioni nei porticati urbani: una dialettica aperta a nuovi apporti.

Nowaday is clear a lack of interest towards outside flooring, whose historical value is subordinated to their efficency and to their aesthetic quality. These two features, considered indispensable by public administrations and by the operators of the field, would seem to be the last purpose of the interventions done on the floorings; interventions that often foresee complete dismantling and reconstruction from the beginning, instead of restoration for saving. By means of this article, whose interest is limited to the floorings of urban porticos, we want to analize not only the reason of this attitude but also to verify which ways of intervention have usually been taken, which materials and technologies have been employed. A research aimed to the knowledge of the manufactures, not only under the historical side but also and most of all by the technical-material point of view, has been developed; the results have been described inside dossiers whose examples most meaningfull are here exposed.

Materiali e tecnologie esecutive delle pavimentazioni urbane realizzate nel Ventenio fascista a Torino.

The technological experimentalism that characterised the architectural works built in Italy between the 1920s and the 1940s also affected the field of infrastructures. New materials were proposed and used in the construction of city road surfaces. The advent of new vehicles (motor cars, streetcars, etc.) mated to an appreciable increase in traffic, the growth of buildings and the innovative drive typical of the fascist era all contributed to the development and subsequent utilisation of new road floor materials, designed to meet evolving performance requirement.

This study investigates these themes by focusing on the interventions performed during the two decades of fascist rule in Turin, with the aim of contributing to the knowledge of the historical development of the construction technologies and the materials characterising the city floors laid during that period and the preservation and replacement works carried out at later times.

floor materials, evolving performance, fascist era, preservation, replacement.

La pratica costruttiva della pavimentazione in pietra lavica nei centri storici dell’area Etnea.

The paving in stone has carried out between the various materials employs a role to you characterizing of one determined culture, today then is assisting after years of progressive waterproof of the city territory to one various historical-environmental attention. The presence in the historical centers of the Sicily Orients them of the Paving in basalt stone reminds the cultural requirement to us of a sustainable development recovery. In fact the paving in stone represents a consolidated example of bio-compatibility, connotation due to the durability and in the case of puts down in work on sand bed of one relative permeability of the foundation. The productive phase then from a point of view of impact acclimatizes them also in consideration of the refuse res-use to you represents materials echo- sustainable whose extraction guarantees one compatible development with the nature and the ecosystem.

Il restauro delle pavimentazioni storiche deve essere sempre progettato come un intervento colto per un riuso conservativo di un insieme di strati architettonici preziosi da coordinare entro un sistema edilizio con sensibilita’ critica sia architettonica sia territoriale.

It is possible to understand “ex post” whether the restoration of a historical flooring is of quality either good, acceptable or terrible on the basis of the success the project engineer achieves in combining in a functional system all of the elements he identified “a priori” in his initial analysis. As a matter of fact in a project for the restoration of historical floorings the most important errors, i.e. the ones that are impossible to amend without enormous expenses and/or the loss of authentic artifacts, most frequently derive from the initial theoretical analysis, rather than from defects in materials and/or techniques. In order to limit this kind of errors we propose a list of guidelines for project engineers which should hopefully lead them to escape at least the most dangerous errors. More precisely we propose to examine any ancient flooring first of all as a layer which is part of a landscape system having its own causes and aims, and then to classify it on the basis of specific criteria as: “real” (A. and B.1) vs. “virtual” (2); according to “disciplines (3); “scale” of the environmental project (4); “compatibility” with over layers (5); “who” will issue an evaluation (6) and in which direction, if more “sentimental” (7) or “technical” (1 and 8) or “historical” (2 and 9) or etc.(10).

1) Methods of project; 2) Project choices; 3) Reading architecture; 4) Theory of architecture; 5) Theory of restoration; 6) Virtual architecture; 7) Virtual landscapes; 8) Historical floorings

Enrico Pedemonte, Silvia Vicini, Elisabetta Princi, Saverio Russo, Alberto Mariani, Simone Bidali

La produzione di piastrelle a base di aggregati di ardesia mediante tecnologie innovative.

In this work we reported our results on the preparation of composites with slate powder and polymeric binders (acrylic and epoxy resins). The new technique applied to make the products, in particular tiles, is the frontal polymerization, in which the heat released by the exothermal reaction of monomer or oligomer into polymer is exploited to promote the formation of a hot travelling front able to propagate and self-sustain. The characterization of the products is here discussed, looking at the good performances reached especially with the epoxy resins as binders. In particular, the tiles show values of the water absorption repellence and the chemical, thermal and mechanical resistance equivalent or better than those of the raw slate.

Piazza Filippo Corridoni a Corridonia. Disegno, significato e storia di uno spazio urbano.

Corridonia (MC) is one of the many examples of urbanistic restructuring carried out during the Fascist era (1936). The intervention comprises the City Hall and a square, with a monument to F. Corridoni in the middle. The paving of the square leads to the ideal centre of the spatial composition, the monument to Corridoni. The City Hall provides a backdrop and sets the scene. References from Italian Squares by De Chirico can be found. The new urban leftover area aims at totally re-designing the borders with the existing structures by means of a carefully planned addition of new elements of urban design. The present paving marks out the area of the monument with a subtle design whose main characteristic is the changing of texture and tones of the base material, sandstone blocks and porphyry dots. The meaning and the history of the square read through the use of materials, the design and the paving.

Spazi urbani e pavimentazioni storiche. Conservazione della materia vs ripristino dell'immagine urbana.

Squares, roads and stairways are constitutive elements of historical centers like buildings. They compose real “urban rooms” in which an important role is not only played by the morphology, but also, and above all, from materials. The replacement of historical floorings becomes, therefore, a matter of primary importance in the preservation of the ancient centers, in the guardianship of the urban identity.

We have to assign to the floorings a value of historical testimony that contributes to characterize our cities in their entirety, with their buildings. This means to plan a management strategy of interventions that, departing from a knowledge of materials and of the state of decay, comes to find the lines for preservation.

So the paper means to consider the role of the historical floorings of the open spaces inside the program of preservation of historical centers.

urban floorings, guardianship norms, preservation guides lines, historical centers.

They are made of calcareous and calcarenitic local stone and are used for inside and outside paving, as well as for covering of vaulted buildings.The execution and recover techniques are still the same as the ones used in the past, since the area has kept its old conservative vocation, based on the idea of tradition as reference of social values and cultural behaviours.

Astricu - small set – calcarenitic - chianca - mosaic paving - local stone – Salento.

Il ruolo della pavimentazione nei centri storici minori: San Giovanni in Marignano, granaio dei Malatesti. Il difficile rapporto tra contesto storico, riqualificazione e funzionalità.

San Giovanni in Marignano “terre murate” a small urban area of the Rimini district whose foundation goes back to the end of 13th century. Located in the southern area of Romagna, the Conca river valley, San Giovanni in Marignano has the historical features of an urban design that put to evidence some similarities with the “Florentine terre murate”. Among these, the role of the “Signoria Malatestiana” and a documented presence of sir Filippo Brunelleschi in the year 1438, let us imagine him, the wellknown architect of the Renaissance, as the main author of San Giovanni renewal. This place, traditionally presumed as the Malatesti barn and center of heavy commercial trading activities, as well as privileged warehouse of the entire valley, is pointed out in such a role by a specific map from 1871: this document witnessing the exintence of 128 barn holes tidily distributed through the streets.

Recently, with a rational project regarding the planning of urban paving, some of these old hypogean cavities have been rendered visible, according to the historical and cultural milieu.

San Giovanni in Marignano (RN), “terra murata”, XIII century, XV century, Signoria Malatestiana, underground barn holes, urban project.

Il masegno. I "lastricati " storici a Trieste: realizzazione, manutenzione, conservazione e…manomissione.

The ancient and modern roads of Trieste are constructed in sandstone, a loam-sandy rock extracted from the layers of flysch that characterise the subsoil of the territory.

The careful constructive and maintenance technique carried out up until the beginning of the last century, hasn’t had an analogous tradition in the current day.

Through an analysis of the constructive, maintenance and restoration techniques of the stone pavements from the 1700s to today, carried out by studying sources from the archive records, this contribution aims to relate these activities to the recent interventions undertaken on the urban roads.

In particular, a conservative intervention will be illustrated in the historical centre of Trieste, that has foreseen the conservation and restoration of the ancient masegni, comparing these with other interventions which have totally removed the latter by substituting them with new stones that have been brought from distant quarries, motivated by the need to guarantee security and accessibility (Piazza Unita’ and others).

Through the re-proposition of the ancient techniques, guidelines are suggested for the maintenance of the historical stone roads in order to guarantee the protection of the historical city’s “landscape".

masegno, construction, maintenance, conservation, historical city’s landscape.

Le pavimentazioni esterne di villa Torlonia a Roma: un sistema di fruibilita’ e di mantenimento dei soprassuoli.

The setting of the walks of this historical evergreen parkland could be matched to that of the paved streets of an historical centre for reaching right up to an ancient building on several sides.

The setting of the alleys of this famous Villa Torlonia can be matched whit the holding functional works of the natural grounds together with those for conveying and recovering rain waters.

The whole of the aforesaid carrying structures studied in the old planimetries and recovered “in situ”, as well as, restored by the writer in the years between 1988 end 1992, shows the refined and precisus mastery workman ship carried out in Villa Torlonia.

At present, these skilled repair works of art can be seriously damaged for lack of maintenance of both parkland and functional supporting works which result to be i n very poor conditions. Actually, the necessary steps are taken, after a so long time, to restore this neglected garden.

But, it is not sure that the hard evidence of the recent past time of carelessness could be useful to save just in time, for the sake of Roman Art, this historical wonderful garden.

Villa Torlonia, evergreen parkland, neglected garden, historical centre, mastery.

Gli Gneiss delle alpi occidentali nelle pavimentazioni degli spazi pubblici a Torino.

Much part of the roads of Turin are covered by porticos and show a flooring in plates of stony material, primarily the gneiss stones of the Occidental Alps, so as mixed to plates and pebbles is the surface of the inner courtyards of the palaces in the areas of expansion of the city up to the last enlargement plans of the first half of the XIX century..

The essay aims to reconstruct, through the archive documentation, the origin and the technique of traditional laying of the stones, verifying the actual consistence and the operation of maintenance, consolidation, reorganization but even tampering (in correspondence of the cart footsteps, where the tiles with to favor the access of the carriages to the porches are often reassemble without holding in consideration the ancient uses) and substitution (the usage of new plates, no more the result of breaks but cut with saws and with flamed surfaces), making a comparison between the today situation and that of about ten years ago.

Le pavimentazioni esterne nella Sicilia occidentale. Aspetti materiali, tecnici e formali della tradizione costruttiva.

Squares, roads, alleys and courtyards, ramps and staircases of many urban centres in Western Sicily are characterized by ancient paving, in some cases still well preserved in small hinterland towns and in historical cities areas, but often hidden by “modern” bituminous coats, if not entirely or partly removed because uncomfortable for pedestrian traffic and noisy to vehicles way. The transformations in progress or already happened, they generally conform to models deduced by repertoires distant from areas of application about material, forms, executive techniques; it contributes to show a progressive and quick forgetfulness of building art-rules and also an oversight of how much knowledge of local building characters it’s necessary, also in urban re-qualification, for a correct intervention.

This study investigates different cases, determined by availability of natural and artificial stones, by site orography, by rain and generally by climate, by pedestrian or vehicle prevailing use, by quality of site; by prevalence in some areas of compact stone in blocks or plates with a various geometry, or pebbles and tile. We analyze how the materials were disposed, if panels and guides, or schemes with oblique joints to favour water outflow; we examine simple longitudinal alternation of cobbled paving, complexes bi-chromatic schemes on vast plain surfaces, the transversal placing predominantly for strong inclination; we also investigate the techniques of arrangement and position of paving elements. Through direct investigation and unpublished archives documents, the study would probe into technical, material, executive and formal aspects for the exploitation of ancient paving to be a guide for a respectful and congruous intervention.

outdoor paving, Western Sicily, building materials and techniques, tradition, re-qualification, restoration, congruous interventions.

Simonetta Valtieri, Francesco Paolo Cecati, Antonio Gambino, Letterio Mavilia

Il problema dei piani pavimentali monumentali e urbani in Calabria: Il caso del palazzo Carafa e del suo intorno nel nucleo antico di Roccella Jonica (RC).

The researches deal with both the reinsertion of the missing part of an original brick flooring and the realization of an external road paving, inside and outside Palazzo Carafa respectively, by a laboratory supported work plan. The first subject concerns the choice of a new paving mortar able to be applied by a casting method and composed mainly of cocciopesto, siliceous sand, hydraulic lime, and water. Some compositions varying mainly the aggregate/binder fraction and the strength of the binder, has been proved. On the basis of some important physical-chemical and mechanical properties, it has been found that a volumetric mix composed of 2 part of aggregate (fragments and powder of cocciopesto and powder of yellow ochre), 1 part of NHL 5 binder type and 0.8-0.9 part of water, may represent a suitable composition. The second proposal aims to the development of a semi-transparent asphalt able to exalt the aesthetic quality of local aggregate pebbles linked together by means of an innovative layer of synthetic binder commercially sold as “transparent bitumen”. Preliminary results points out that by employing a suitable mix design of components (binder and aggregates physical properties) and by applying a corrects physical and mechanical treatments (pre-heating, mixing and curing modalities), it can be successfully obtained a high performing and perhaps durable product.

Roccella Jonica (RC), Palazzo Carafa, internal and external paving, hydraulic lime, transparent binder, conservation and renovation.

In the rural villages on the hills and on the mountains of Liguria and lower Piedmont the paths, the open spaces, the courtyards, often derived from a patient human work to use a hard territory, represent – even from the perceptive point of view – the inseparable legacy between the human settlement and the landscape. Besides the apparent homogeneity of constructive techniques of the pavements, every kind of stones – depending also on the unique context – is linked to different kind of work, has various “behaviour” in relation to external agents and, overall, is positioned on specific soil, following the local tradition. The paper aims to offer a view of the different external pavements of the rural villages, with particular attention to: geometry and morphology, materials and ways to treat the stones and their surfaces, disposal to gutter the rainwater; current conditions of decay and structural disease and analysis of their causes, guidelines for the maintenance, repair, integration and new interventions, especially in cases of new demands for use.

stone pavement, rural villages, constructive techniques, maintenance, repair.

Pavimentazioni stradali nel XIX secolo a Milano: materiali lapidei, tecniche di realizzazione e aspetti di degrado.

Pavings of urban street in Milan were investigated in order to outline the development during 19th century: pebbles and granite row, stone slabs or stone cubes. The material employed were pebbles from glacial and fluvial deposits, granites from lake Maggiore (Baveno and Montorfano), granite from lake Como (san Fedelino), granophyre from lake Lugano, sandstone from Liguria and porphyry from Trentino-Alto Adige (since 1925). The change of the street profile according to the development of urban needs (sewers, cables, rails) was reported. The different features and decay phenomena of each stone were also investigated.

Annalisa Conforti, Annalisa Marra, Consuelo Celeste Spinella, Lorenzo Jurina

Il caso delle pavimentazioni nel borgo abbandonato di Laino Castello: dove il tempo e le nuove tecnologie non hanno alterato la continuità della tradizione costruttiva.

The study introduced in this article faces the topic of the external and inner paving of the village of Laino. The urban texture, abandoned over 25 years ago, introduces concerns related to the complete lack of maintenance, because of which the vegetation has come to an uncontrolled growth.

This dilapidation damaged the external paving resulting in impassableness of streets as well as their undetectability and most of all in their bad readability.

In the case of the inner paving, the maintenance shortage brought to the deterioration of all the wooden structures, and consequently of the paving, because of the water seepage. Analysis have been conducted aimed to find out and to characterize the constructive techniques in order to allow future restoration. The results obtained through three types of analysis (photographic, metric and stratigraphic description) have been organized in synthesis cards by means of which it is possible to easily detect typologies, employed materials, constructive techniques and the state of conservation.

paving, survey, cataloguing, materials, constructive techniques, conservation

In the territory of Borgio Verezzi there are five historical centers: the biggest one is on the coast, and the others are on the hills of the natural amphitheatre which looks to the sea.

The construction technology of “ciottolato” (cobbled paving) is usual in their old streets and squares: it is called in the region “rissêu” (from “riccio” = “curl” or from French “ruisseau” = “river” where there is a lot of stones). Some areas in the 70s were asphalted because the original paving was ruined and the stones were disconnected and disjointed.

The article describes functions and characters of paths paving in Verezzi landscape and their rehabilitation, following the projects included in town plans for the restoration of the entire old villages.

All the paths are pedestrian. For a better accessibility, a central fillet was added in main streets and squares (which are used as open theatres in summer time) using: bricks (as in many Ligurian examples) or “Lessinia stone” (from Verona mountains) which is very similar to the original stone called “stone of Verezzi”. Its beautiful particular pink color is the topic of the architecture in Borgio Verezzi. In fact Verezzi stone quarries were closed many years ago.

cobblestones, cobbled paving, original stones - new materials, compatibility

Verifica degli esiti della riqualificazione dei parchi urbani: la pavimentazione della villa Comunale di Napoli.

The Nineteenth-century urban parks witness of the relationship in constant becoming between nature and town. The need of progressive adjustment to the use demands has led, in the years, to modify the natural components, the built ones and the activities. Such interventions have, in a few cases, changed the characters of the parks, using materials, construction techniques and plants incompatible with the system. This often compromises the system balance and speeds up the decay process.

The recent recovery of the Municipal Park of Naples, realized in 1778 and modified and increased in the early Nineteenth-century, is a significant case study, in order to evaluate the results of interventions performed. In fact, this intervention produced alterations due to the poor control of the compatibility between new and pre-existent technological elements, even thought it was aimed at the recovery of the harmonic relationship between nature and building.

Starting from the analysis of the flooring replacement intervention, realized in tufo, the proposed study is aimed to outline criteria for the control of the project choices concerning the requalification and maintenance of the urban parks, according to strategies oriented to the balance preservation of the plant / building /activity system.

Le pavimentazioni del moderno: caratteristiche tecnico-costruttive, forme di degrado, problemi di recupero e di manutenzione. Il caso del complesso di piazza Rossetti (GE).

The paper concerns the case of the external pavements of an important residential complex in Piazza Rossetti, Genoa (1936-1958), by architect Luigi Carlo Daneri, located in the wide area facing the sea, close to the outfall of the torrent Bisagno. The original design, the care in details, the ability to choose and to use different materials and colours are the main features of this work. More than sixty years after its construction, a large part of the pavement under the portico has been substituted with different materials, shape and colours. The fact is that, during the recent maintenance, this complex has been intended as a contemporary building, lacking of architectural and historical values. In the actual debate, on the contrary, this work represents the result of particular urban and architectural choices and its significance is well known also outside from the city. For this reason it is really necessary to design and to realise correct intervention to preserve and to maintain the original pieces, basing on the knowledge of the constructive techniques and on the analysis of the state of decay and of its causes.

le pavimentazioni storiche all'aperto: forma e materia nella costruzione del paesaggio. Il caso della “rizzada” Lombarda.

The contribution intends to examine the role of the historical paving in the open-air in the construction of the landscape in the specific type of the cobbled paving roads in the Lombardic area. It is recognized he great importance that not only the formal aspect but also the material aspect, constituted from the paving of the great roads of communication, of squares and minor paths, has in the definition of the identity of a place. Near the value of the material history it takes place the consequent value to the possibility to be available to see the surrounding landscape and to the symbolic character of such seeing. The open spaces are often connectors to the elements that constitute the landscape; therefore the opportunity of their conservation and valorization and also the importance of the conservation of that historical matter that constitutes one meaningful permanence for the comprehension of the characters of a place. To such reflections follows a research of the constructive techniques, today and in the past, of the roads in cobbled paving exemplified in the sacred way of the Sacred Mount over Varese.

rizzada, cobbled paving, roads, constructive techniques, landscape, Sacred Mount over Varese

The flooring is part in the system of landscape relating to rural architecture, in which any element finds priority but everything it is expression of a necessity of use and it directly comes down from the local availability of the materials. It is testimony of a knowledge heritage that have known how to gather the potentialities of a site strongly engraving a proper connotation. They have often been object of great transformations and stratifications, due to the change of use happened in the centuries, regulating itself to the new necessities of speed and resistance, but those original have sometimes remained, especially in the small mountain villages where the modern demands have been less pressing. They remain as the rural buildings what authentic expression of a local identity that must be safeguards and transmitted to the future generations. In order to deliver indications for the correct landscape insertion of the new interventions in a rural village, the national and international literature has been analysed.

Le pavimentazioni della viabilità storica extraurbana: caratteri tecnico-costruttivi e problemi di tutela e conservazione di un sistema architettonico-paesistico complesso.

The historic trails form a very interesting architectonic, technical and cultural linear system: not only the traces, but also the road works (pavings, walls, bridges, tunnels, drain wells, etc.), the connected buildings (churches, chapels, fortifications, custom-houses, mills, forges, furnaces, mines, etc.) rose out of ancient religious, military, commercial or industrial functions with a relationship between villages, towns, landscapes.

Leaving out the more ancient trails (roman and medieval roads) with a lot of archaeological value, there are in Italy many XVIII-XIX century trails now transformed or abandoned and decayed. However they often conserve historic features and particularly pavings, built with traditional construction technics and materials (drystone, gravel, dirt). In the past many documents and treatises analysed paving materials, defining building construction components and management criteria. The paper examines the methodological approach to study - from historic research to survey - the material substance to define conservation treatments and management guidelines. The paper also illustrates some recent studies about Lombardy historic trails preservation.

pavings of historic trails; historical research; construction technics and materials; conservation standards and treatments; management guidelines.

I pavimenti delle fabbriche reali milanesi. Manutenzioni tra la fine del XVIII e la metà del XX secolo.

The Villa Reale in Milan offers several extraordinary different types of floors: seminati alla veneziana, wood and brick floors, built up and restored during the last two centuries.

The present contribution means to propose the features and the execution techniques, maintenance and restoration of this floors.

Gianfranco Carcangiu, Alessio Farci, Deborah Floris, Luigi Massidda, Paola Meloni

Uhina colonia Julia (Tunisia): il singolare degrado di un basolato romano dal momento del suo disepellimento.

Within the framework of a restoration plan of emerging structures in the archaeological site of Uthina, an ancient roman city, founded in the Augustian age (first century B.C.) and located about 30 kilometers far from southern Tunis, different stone materials have been investigated along with the main weathering agents. The aim of this study was to evaluate the decay evolution of a stretch of roman road excavated during different excavation fields since 1995 (AQUA 2000 plan).

Eocenic Mudstone was used for the ashler and for severall architectural elements exposed to static and dinamic strength. Pit sampling and laboratory tests carried out on limestone put in evidence a good macroscopic omhogenity (lack of marked bedding planes within a single bank) and good fisical and mechanical performances. At the excavation time the ashler appeared in a relatively good conservation state. Nevertheless the periodic control (annual) allowed to evidentiate the rising of increasing decay phenomena. It has induced us to make a careful study of the relation microstructure-durability through a more careful analys of material and its presumed omhogenity.

The interpretation of the structural feactures of the stone and the methology used for simulating various weathering forms let us to reproduce in the laboratory the multiple contour scaling phenomenon observed in situ and consequently evaluate the different factors that affected the stone decay.

Progetto preliminare di restauro e conservazione dei pavimenti della stazione centrale di Milano.

Opere d’arte da calpestare: le pavimentazioni dei cantieri sabaudi, struttura forma conservazione.

From the beginning of 17th century, in the building works of the Savoy State, this technique reaches the status of a proper decorative art, in which taste and functionality meet to create a sort of “fashion”, being the court fully aware that carpets were – despite their beauty – deposits of dust.

17th century parquets are made with various wood essences, initially simple geometrical designs based on square shapes. But soon, aesthetic research develops in parallel with floor-makers’ skills.

In 18th century “marqueterie” becomes an art of its own, pushes simple “square” parquets out into secondary ambiences, while in the great parade halls complex geometries are adopted, exalted by the chromatic interplay of many different types of woods: Filippo Juvarra himself plays with suggestive creations full of chiaroscuro effects.

In 19th century works, wooden floors are inlay-made, and neoclassical decoration is very similar to that adopted for furnishings by the same artists in charge of cabinet making, such as Gabriele Capello, cabinet-maker for King Carlo Alberto.

The Savoy archives have, as well as the instructions for floor-making, documents full of information about floor-maintenance with techniques and materials similar to those used in nowadays care-taking and big and small restoration campaigns. This preservation has to be carried out with materials and techniques compatible with these precious artefacts, but most of all through an activity of “intelligence”, in a view to rather prevent degradation than to repair it.

wood – parquet – floor-maker – cabinet-maker – prevention – limitation of use

Guido Biscontin, Guido Driussi, Renzo Mazzari , Renzo Nicoletti, Mauro Tonon

Pavimentazioni in cotto del Palazzo Reale di Torino: applicazioni sperimentali per la conservazione.

An experimentation to verify the possibilit to confer a good solidità to the brik pavimentation of Palazzo reale in Torino was developed.

Some original briks, were tested with different water micromelsions dispersion based on acrylic systems, silane and siloxane, and silica nanodispersion, in order to give new satbility to the system. Original bricks are rich in cloride because of a wrong cleaning metodology carried out in the past. The results obtained both from the abrasion resistance and waterprofness tests were encouraging