Lia ROMANO
Lia Romano, arch., PhD in Architettura (curriculum: Patrimonio architettonico e Paesaggio: Storia e Restauro), è Ricercatore di Restauro (RTDa) presso il Dipartimento di Architettura dell'Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II.
Assegnista di ricerca presso il medesimo dipartimento (2022-2023; 2020-2021), ha partecipato come borsista di ricerca post-doc al progetto "Naples Digital Archive. Moving Through Time and Space" (Cirice/Unina – Bibliotheca Hertziana di Roma) ed è stata Visiting Researcher nel 2017 presso l'Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Paris La Villette e nel 2019 presso l’Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne di Parigi (Institute d’histoire moderne et contemporaine) nell'ambito del programma di mobilità ATLAS finanziato dalla Fondazione Luigi Einaudi di Torino e dalla Fondation Maison des sciences de l’homme di Parigi. Dal 2014 svolge attività di ricerca e di collaborazione alla didattica nel Dipartimento di Architettura dell’Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II partecipando a ricerche universitarie interdipartimentali finanziate dall’Ateneo e da Enti locali inerenti a temi connessi alla conoscenza e al restauro del patrimonio architettonico e archeologico. Si interessa di tecniche costruttive storiche, della circolazione e della trasmissione di saperi costruttivi in Italia e in Europa nonché delle problematiche di conservazione dei centri urbani abbandonati. Relatore in Convegni nazionali e internazionali, pubblica i risultati delle proprie ricerche in riviste scientifiche e volumi collettanei. Nel febbraio 2023 ha conseguito l’Abilitazione Scientifica Nazionale alle funzioni di professore di seconda fascia (SC 08/E2).
Address: University of Naples Federico II. Department of Architecture
Assegnista di ricerca presso il medesimo dipartimento (2022-2023; 2020-2021), ha partecipato come borsista di ricerca post-doc al progetto "Naples Digital Archive. Moving Through Time and Space" (Cirice/Unina – Bibliotheca Hertziana di Roma) ed è stata Visiting Researcher nel 2017 presso l'Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Paris La Villette e nel 2019 presso l’Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne di Parigi (Institute d’histoire moderne et contemporaine) nell'ambito del programma di mobilità ATLAS finanziato dalla Fondazione Luigi Einaudi di Torino e dalla Fondation Maison des sciences de l’homme di Parigi. Dal 2014 svolge attività di ricerca e di collaborazione alla didattica nel Dipartimento di Architettura dell’Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II partecipando a ricerche universitarie interdipartimentali finanziate dall’Ateneo e da Enti locali inerenti a temi connessi alla conoscenza e al restauro del patrimonio architettonico e archeologico. Si interessa di tecniche costruttive storiche, della circolazione e della trasmissione di saperi costruttivi in Italia e in Europa nonché delle problematiche di conservazione dei centri urbani abbandonati. Relatore in Convegni nazionali e internazionali, pubblica i risultati delle proprie ricerche in riviste scientifiche e volumi collettanei. Nel febbraio 2023 ha conseguito l’Abilitazione Scientifica Nazionale alle funzioni di professore di seconda fascia (SC 08/E2).
Address: University of Naples Federico II. Department of Architecture
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Si les thématiques traditionnelles de l’histoire de la construction sont bien évidemment abordées (matériaux, processus de construction, chantier, droit et économie, métiers et acteurs, circulation des savoirs, etc.), d’autres sujets liés au développement de nouveaux thèmes de recherche sont proposés tels que l’histoire des techniques d’entretien et de restauration et l’histoire environnementale.
Cette édition, comme les précédentes, entend participer à la consolidation de ce champ de recherche et enrichir les connaissances par la multiplicité des regards.
Calendrier prévisionnel
L'appel à communication est publié jusqu'au 31 mai 2024.
Retours auprès des auteurs pour le 1er septembre 2024. (Acceptation définitive après adhésion à l'association francophone d'histoire de la construction)
Procédure d'inscription ouverte début janvier 2025
Date limite d'inscription au congrès : 17 juin 2025
Dépôt des textes complets des communications en vue de leur publication : 20 septembre 2025
Articles in Journals
The restoration project was preceded by an accurate historical and material-constructive knowledge phase that highlighted the peculiarities of the building and the current vulnerability factors. This made it possible to propose a well-aware consolidation project, carried out in the form of seismic improvement, and the surface conservation plan. The latter concerned the preservation of the still existing traces of plaster and machicolations by highlighting and revealing them through a careful evaluation of the integrations to be proposed.
L’analisi dello scenario dei danni e lo studio della risposta istituzionale e della strategia adottata nella prima fase d’emergenza, corrispondente agli ultimi mesi della prima Restaurazione Borbonica (luglio 1805-febbraio 1806), consente di aprire scenari inediti in relazione sia alla definizione dei provvedimenti sia alle figure e alle istituzioni coinvolte come la Deputazione dell’Orfanotrofio militare. La gestione di tale complessa situazione, tuttavia, subì un fortissimo rallentamento e un parziale dirottamento dei fondi con l’insediamento dell’amministrazione francese nel febbraio del 1806, ponendo fine a un breve ma intenso periodo di interventi di somma urgenza.
Alla luce di tali riflessioni il contributo approfondisce – definito un esteso e complesso scenario dei danni – le linee d’intervento seguite dal governo borbonico e il ruolo di figure e istituzioni coinvolte nella fase post-sisma a Napoli e in Terra di Lavoro ricostruendo gli eventi relativi a un momento storico di grande interesse in relazione a temi attinenti alla storia della città e dell’architettura, nonché a quella economica e delle istituzioni.
WITHIN THE CATASTROPHE.
THE 1805 EARTHQUAKE BETWEEN EMERGENCY AND FIRST REMISSION OF DAMAGES IN NAPLES AND IN TERRA DI LAVORO
Among the catastrophes which hit the Kingdom of Naples between the 18th and the 19th century, the 26 July 1805 earthquake deserves special attention: although the epicentre was in Molise contado, it caused serious damages also in close areas, by upsetting the capital city and Terra di Lavoro territories at the dawn of the French decade, in a fragile historical period characterized by political and administrative changes.
The analysis of the damages and of the strategy adopted by the government in the first-phase of the emergency, corresponding with the last months of the first Bourbon Restoration (July 1805- February 1806), opens unknown scenarios in relation to the definition of the provisions, as well as to the figures and institutions involved, such as the Deputazione dell’Orfanotrofio militare. The management of this complex situation slowed down with the installation of the French administration in the February of 1806, putting the end to a brief period of intensive interventions. Given these considerations, the paper deepens – after specifying the damages of the urban and architectural heritage – the lines of action adopted by the Bourbon government and the role of figures and institutions involved after the earthquake in Naples and in Terra di Lavoro, by analysing events related to the urban and architectural history as well as to the economic and institutional one.
Robert Mallet, seppur realizzati con finalità differenti, restituiscono all’unisono un’interessante spaccato della Basilicata di metà Ottocento caratterizzato da un paesaggio urbano frutto delle trasformazioni prodotte dai frequenti disastri naturali. L’analisi e il confronto critico di tale documentazione iconografica e delle descrizioni che la accompagnano costituisce un utile strumento per l’analisi dei caratteri costruttivi della regione nonché per lo studio e l’interpretazione delle lente modificazioni e delle tracce lasciate dal sisma sull’identità dei piccoli centri urbani.
This paper aims to analyse the extensive iconographic documentation relating to two major earthquakes that struck the province of Basilicata, in southern Italy, in 1851 and 1857. In both cases the damage was accurately represented in drawings, which provide valuable sources for understanding and analysing the region’s urban and architectural heritage. The graphic works created by artists, architects and the engineer-geologist Robert Mallet introduce a fascinating cross-section of mid-19th-century Basilicata, which was characterised by an urban landscape shaped by frequent natural disasters and the transformations they brought about. The analysis and comparison of this iconographic documentation and descriptions are useful tools in the study of the region’s constructions, the interpretation of the slow pace of change, and the impact that earthquakes had on the identity of small towns.
PAPERS IN BOOKS
Taking into account these considerations, the aim is to discuss historicized restoration solutions that can be traced back to the 19th century – starting with the analysis of treatises and archive sources – through to current interventions, and to assess their actual potentialities and critical issues. The quality of the project is necessarily also measured by the degree of knowledge of these aspects.
Si les thématiques traditionnelles de l’histoire de la construction sont bien évidemment abordées (matériaux, processus de construction, chantier, droit et économie, métiers et acteurs, circulation des savoirs, etc.), d’autres sujets liés au développement de nouveaux thèmes de recherche sont proposés tels que l’histoire des techniques d’entretien et de restauration et l’histoire environnementale.
Cette édition, comme les précédentes, entend participer à la consolidation de ce champ de recherche et enrichir les connaissances par la multiplicité des regards.
Calendrier prévisionnel
L'appel à communication est publié jusqu'au 31 mai 2024.
Retours auprès des auteurs pour le 1er septembre 2024. (Acceptation définitive après adhésion à l'association francophone d'histoire de la construction)
Procédure d'inscription ouverte début janvier 2025
Date limite d'inscription au congrès : 17 juin 2025
Dépôt des textes complets des communications en vue de leur publication : 20 septembre 2025
The restoration project was preceded by an accurate historical and material-constructive knowledge phase that highlighted the peculiarities of the building and the current vulnerability factors. This made it possible to propose a well-aware consolidation project, carried out in the form of seismic improvement, and the surface conservation plan. The latter concerned the preservation of the still existing traces of plaster and machicolations by highlighting and revealing them through a careful evaluation of the integrations to be proposed.
L’analisi dello scenario dei danni e lo studio della risposta istituzionale e della strategia adottata nella prima fase d’emergenza, corrispondente agli ultimi mesi della prima Restaurazione Borbonica (luglio 1805-febbraio 1806), consente di aprire scenari inediti in relazione sia alla definizione dei provvedimenti sia alle figure e alle istituzioni coinvolte come la Deputazione dell’Orfanotrofio militare. La gestione di tale complessa situazione, tuttavia, subì un fortissimo rallentamento e un parziale dirottamento dei fondi con l’insediamento dell’amministrazione francese nel febbraio del 1806, ponendo fine a un breve ma intenso periodo di interventi di somma urgenza.
Alla luce di tali riflessioni il contributo approfondisce – definito un esteso e complesso scenario dei danni – le linee d’intervento seguite dal governo borbonico e il ruolo di figure e istituzioni coinvolte nella fase post-sisma a Napoli e in Terra di Lavoro ricostruendo gli eventi relativi a un momento storico di grande interesse in relazione a temi attinenti alla storia della città e dell’architettura, nonché a quella economica e delle istituzioni.
WITHIN THE CATASTROPHE.
THE 1805 EARTHQUAKE BETWEEN EMERGENCY AND FIRST REMISSION OF DAMAGES IN NAPLES AND IN TERRA DI LAVORO
Among the catastrophes which hit the Kingdom of Naples between the 18th and the 19th century, the 26 July 1805 earthquake deserves special attention: although the epicentre was in Molise contado, it caused serious damages also in close areas, by upsetting the capital city and Terra di Lavoro territories at the dawn of the French decade, in a fragile historical period characterized by political and administrative changes.
The analysis of the damages and of the strategy adopted by the government in the first-phase of the emergency, corresponding with the last months of the first Bourbon Restoration (July 1805- February 1806), opens unknown scenarios in relation to the definition of the provisions, as well as to the figures and institutions involved, such as the Deputazione dell’Orfanotrofio militare. The management of this complex situation slowed down with the installation of the French administration in the February of 1806, putting the end to a brief period of intensive interventions. Given these considerations, the paper deepens – after specifying the damages of the urban and architectural heritage – the lines of action adopted by the Bourbon government and the role of figures and institutions involved after the earthquake in Naples and in Terra di Lavoro, by analysing events related to the urban and architectural history as well as to the economic and institutional one.
Robert Mallet, seppur realizzati con finalità differenti, restituiscono all’unisono un’interessante spaccato della Basilicata di metà Ottocento caratterizzato da un paesaggio urbano frutto delle trasformazioni prodotte dai frequenti disastri naturali. L’analisi e il confronto critico di tale documentazione iconografica e delle descrizioni che la accompagnano costituisce un utile strumento per l’analisi dei caratteri costruttivi della regione nonché per lo studio e l’interpretazione delle lente modificazioni e delle tracce lasciate dal sisma sull’identità dei piccoli centri urbani.
This paper aims to analyse the extensive iconographic documentation relating to two major earthquakes that struck the province of Basilicata, in southern Italy, in 1851 and 1857. In both cases the damage was accurately represented in drawings, which provide valuable sources for understanding and analysing the region’s urban and architectural heritage. The graphic works created by artists, architects and the engineer-geologist Robert Mallet introduce a fascinating cross-section of mid-19th-century Basilicata, which was characterised by an urban landscape shaped by frequent natural disasters and the transformations they brought about. The analysis and comparison of this iconographic documentation and descriptions are useful tools in the study of the region’s constructions, the interpretation of the slow pace of change, and the impact that earthquakes had on the identity of small towns.
Taking into account these considerations, the aim is to discuss historicized restoration solutions that can be traced back to the 19th century – starting with the analysis of treatises and archive sources – through to current interventions, and to assess their actual potentialities and critical issues. The quality of the project is necessarily also measured by the degree of knowledge of these aspects.
values. Because of these considerations, the paper deepens the transformation and conservation dynamics of Punta Campanella area, by recalling the last Seventy years interventions and by taking into account the expectations of the 1987 landscape territorial plan. The attention will be focus on the various restoration proposals of the ancient road infrastructure, by aiming at offering, in an up-to-date vision, a multi-level knowledge picture of the issues and high potentialities of the complex and articulated cultural palimpsest for the whole Neapolitan bay.
The 1805 earthquake is the last catastrophic event which damages the Bojano Valley, by upsetting one of the most underdeveloped periphery in the Kingdom of Naples. The Bourbon government responds to the state of emergency without delay, thanks to the experience acquired after the 1783 Calabrian earthquake. However, despite the short time span, both the cultural contexts and the ways of reconstruction appear very different. Slow and deferred changing dynamics correspond to the unexpected disaster, which destroys more than twenty towns. A systematic plan of reconstruction, able to guide the operational choices, is not designed and carried out.
Because of these considerations, the paper focuses the attention on the catastrophe and the related slow changes, by interpreting the ‘descriptive narrations’ and by recognizing identities together with tangible and intangible values which are kept in the permanencies and in the features of the architecture and landscape. Therefore, a wealth of information - useful for the knowledge, the prevention and the conservation of the cultural heritage - will be developed by referring to the context of Bojano and Baranello, epicentre of the earthquake.
The paper focuses on Robert Mallet’s work and on the innovative research method which was drawn up for the 1857 earthquake. The earthquake was for the engineer-geologist an opportunity in order to put into practice his theoretical considerations and to provide documentary evidence of the damages through an original interpretation of instabilities and collapses and the innovative use of photography: this last one nowadays represents a very important instrument for the study of the 19th century reconstruction.
The contribution proposes a critical reflection on the protection and conservation projects inherent in the fortress from the late 19th century to the present day. Starting from the historical investigation and the comparison between the archival sources and the current state of conservation, the essay intends to offer a new piece to the history of knowledge and protection of the fort, a symbolic architecture for the history
and identity of the city.
centuries. Thanks to the availability of numerous historical maps and archival drawings of mills, a link can be established between the past and what is currently visible in the area. The recognition of the physical traces
of the mills and of the remains of the water adduction system deepens the knowledge of an unresolved strip of city territory that still retains a peri-urban character, being delimited on one side by the historic walls and on the other by the 20th century expansion of the city. In light of these considerations, this paper offers a new contribution to the study of the proto-industrial architectural heritage of Benevento, focusing on the interpretation of material traces of the past with the purpose that their recognition could strengthen the identity of this part of the city.
In this cultural context the figure of the artist-engineer Jean-Far Eustache de Saint Far (1746-1828) is to be considered. As outlined by Antoine Picon, Saint Far belonged to the first generations of artists-engineers who studied at the École des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris, representing the last offshoot of a professional category with a solid humanistic formation and a strong practical experience. Saint Far was a versatile technician, engaged on many professional fronts: as well as being an engineer of the Corps des ponts et Chaussées and architect of hospitals, he was also interested in constructive strategies to improve fire resistance of buildings as testified by his rich journalistic production published in the Journal des bâtiments civils et des arts. In fact, in 1785 he developed a lightweight and fireproof construction system for vaults and domes using hollow clay pots, reinterpreting a Roman-Byzantine technique and transforming what was once an ancient “technical object” into an artistic one with aesthetic and cultural traits too. His invention was positively evaluated by the Academies of Architecture and Science in Paris as well as by the Bureau de consultation des Arts et Métiers, inaugurating a season of interesting experimentations often associated with wrought iron.
In the light of these considerations, the paper deepens Saint Far’s contribution to the debate on fireproof constructions in France at the end of the 18th century. The study reconstructs the genesis of his inventions through the critical reading of documents preserved in the Parisian archives (Archives nationales, Archives du Musée des Arts et Métiers, BnF) providing a small advancement in the history of fire engineering in France. Moreover, the proposed subject fits within the current literature on the figures of architects-engineers-artisans and on the role of the technical invention in the Age of Enlightenment: both are themes of interest for Architecture but also for human and social sciences.
This ongoing PhD research explores the level of progress which the 19th century building yard proves in the evolution of lightweight construction techniques – with particular reference to vaulting systems – by evaluating the adaptability and vulnerability as well as the resilience capacity compared with extreme events such as earthquakes. This research – by starting from an historical study that inevitably interlaces direct surveys – comes to envision the conservation project by encouraging further reflection about issues related to vulnerability and adaptability of these constructive systems.
Our main goal is to devise an exhaustive framework of knowledge, which is necessary for defining possible intervention approaches for these particularly vulnerable systems. In fact, the lacking knowledge of historical construction techniques can cause wrong and damaging restoration projects. It is necessary, instead, to find methods for a sustainable restoration, by using ‘compatible’ materials and adaptive techniques and by safeguarding the monumental value. The current state of the art for these construction systems requires further in depth-analysis and new practical applications aiming at supporting an aware project of restoration.
Sorrentine Peninsula and seat of suggestive archaeological and mythological memories. The strategic
position contributed, over the centuries, to the settlement of important architectures, such as the
sanctuary dedicated to Athena and a Roman domus, which makes the area a complex and rich
palimpsest of material stratifications. The Minerva Tower – that nowadays is the main landmark of the
promontory – was built in 1334 in relation to the site of the temple of Athena but was completely
transformed in 1566, as a consequence of the strengthening plan of the southern coasts which was
planned by the Spanish viceroy Pedro Afán de Ribera Duke of Alcalà. The paper deepens the
knowledge of the tower by analyzing the transformations during the viceroyal period and highlighting
the changes and the hidden ancient traces which are preserved until today.
PhD in Preservation of the Architectural Heritage Cycle XXXV
PhD course: Methods and themes of historical research Resilient construction in the XVIIIth and XIXth architectural literature and in built architecture. Critically rethinking the “alternative” building (ed. prof. arch. Alberto Grimoldi)
preesistenze, nonché dando vita a complessi palinsesti impercettibili, solo in pochi e fortunati casi, le pedamenta appaiono ispezionabili o visibili nella loro complessità costruttiva, qualora integrate in percorsi di visita musealizzati, resi possibili soprattutto in ragione della presenza di strutture fondazionali su archi e pilastri.
Partendo dalla consapevolezza dell'esistenza di una lacuna conoscitiva relativa al cantiere di costruzione e consolidamento delle fondazioni napoletane, ancora poco indagato soprattutto rispetto alla comprensione dei
materiali e delle tecniche costruttive, il contributo che si presenta mira a definire un repertorio di soluzioni costruttive e di consolidamento sviluppate tra il XVI e il XVIII secolo, partendo dall’interpretazione della letteratura tecnica locale e potendo contare su un'ampia ricognizione di fonti archivistiche relative a molteplici fabbriche della città, in particolare chiese e complessi religiosi. Il contributo intende, quindi, focalizzare l’attenzione sul cantiere di costruzione e di consolidamento delle fondazioni, nel tentativo di costruirne una cronologia ed evidenziare, anche tramite l'analisi dei casi più rappresentativi dei differenti approcci ed epoche, la longue durée delle soluzioni adottate (a risega semplice, doppia, a risega e doppia scarpa, su archi e pilastri, etc.) ovvero le eventuali varianti costruttive. Ai fini di una migliore comprensione di tali “strutture nascoste”, l’interpretazione delle fonti indirette si accompagna allo studio della documentazione fotografica e grafica inerente a cantieri di restauro che hanno interessato negli ultimi decenni alcune delle architetture indagate e che hanno consentito di rendere temporaneamente visibili le fondazioni.
Nel tracciare una storia delle pratiche di cantiere relative alle strutture di fondazione nel panorama costruttivo napoletano di epoca moderna, il saggio si pone, dunque, l'obiettivo di ampliare la conoscenza in relazione a un patrimonio che, seppur celato alla vista, è portatore di valori legati a una specifica cultura tecnica e alla sua evoluzione attraverso i secoli, che meritano di essere indagati e riconosciuti per una più ampia consapevolezza
di tale "eredità invisibile".
La soluzione a tale problematica venne fornita solo nell’Ottocento con l’introduzione, nel cantiere di architettura, delle lamine di zinco puro, quale materiale di rivestimento, preferito in virtù della leggerezza e resistenza alla corrosione. L’assenza di realtà industriali utili a tale produzione nel Regno delle Due Sicilie impose l’importazione del metallo da paesi esteri in grado di estrarre forme pure del materiale. L’Inghilterra già agli inizi dell’Ottocento aveva perfezionato il procedimento per ottenere lamine di zinco di buona qualità e dal 1837 il Belgio ne aveva avviato un proficuo commercio con la fondazione della "Société des Mines et Fonderies de Zinc de la Vieille Montagne". Le proprietà dello zinco puro indussero gli architetti del Regno a importare, tramite contratti con società commerciali e negozianti come Guglielmo Ball, tale materiale dall’Inghilterra, considerato di migliore qualità rispetto a quello francese e belga e da impiegare nel restauro di edifici esistenti e nelle coperture in contesti
archeologici.
Alla luce di tali riflessioni, il contributo intende focalizzare l’attenzione, a partire da casi documentati, su tale specifica realtà produttiva e costruttiva che, per il contesto napoletano, risulta ancora poco nota, analizzando le relazioni internazionali e la circolazione di saperi e riflettendo sul ruolo dell’innovazione tecnologica nell’orientare la trasformazione di modi consolidati di produrre e costruire. Il riconoscimento di tale materiale, sebbene poco diffuso a Napoli, appare indispensabile per una sua corretta conservazione.
The preservation of the "ghost towns", spread throughout Europe and concentrated in the Italian context mainly along the Central-Southern Apennines, is, therefore, a complex cultural challenge which covers psychological, economic, technical as well as social and aesthetic instances.
In order to properly defining the possible actions is essential to comprehend the reasons of the "dismission" of urban settlements through the interpretation of their history, and with it, of the multiplicity of values, both tangible and intangible, which are kept in their architecture and open spaces. In both them is possible, in fact, to recognize an extraordinary documentary value so much with respect to the understanding of traditional building techniques and to the use of local materials as to the analysis of the various ways of use of the spaces whose traces are frequently still legible in the ancient palimpsest. Moreover, if on the one hand, the absence of people and the sudden or gradual abandonment of the architecture have ensured, in a sense, the preservation of authentic materials and of the values contained in it, on the other hand the possibility of returning to enjoy the places, through the restoration of the architecture and the urban landscape and through the improvement of their accessibility, stands as an indispensable tool for the protection of the heritage they represent.
Because of these considerations and within an in progress research program, the paper focuses the attention on recent interventions and strategies aimed at the rehabilitation of sites partially or totally abandoned in the Italian context, analyzing the components and the objectives that substantiate the choices relating to safeguarding of constituted assets. The experiences under investigation are intended to create an "atlas" of the best practices to be extended, then, to the European scale and which, within the complex restorative approach, could provide an useful cultural stimulation to interventions respectful of the multiplicity of issues and values involved in cultural heritage.
La città di Potenza, divenuta capoluogo della Provincia di Basilicata agli inizi del XIX secolo, non è immune da tali programmi di ‘abbellimento’; la trasformazione da insediamento contadino a moderno centro amministrativo si accompagna a scelte urbanistiche volte non solo a dotare la città di spazi di rappresentanza, ma anche ad allontanare funzioni legate all’ambito agricolo.
La necessità di delocalizzare le attività di macellazione porta all’individuazione di un sito esterno all’abitato per le lavorazioni e di un largo piuttosto centrale ma particolarmente angusto e degradato per il commercio. L’intervento rientra nel progetto a più ampia scala voluto dal Duca della Verdura, Intendente della Provincia di Basilicata, che vide nella ‘riunione dei macelli’ l’occasione per dotare la città di una moderna ‘piazza de’ Commestibili’, affidando l’incarico a Luigi Brancucci, architetto potentino piuttosto attivo nella metà del XIX secolo.
Il contributo, dunque, intende approfondire l’evoluzione di questo spazio urbano rispetto ai coevi e più ampi programmi di interventi previsti nel Regno di Napoli attraverso lo studio di documentazione iconografica e d’archivio, fornendo una lettura ragionata di un luogo particolarmente significativo per la vita sociale della città.
In view of this, the essay aims to offer a systematic overview of the theoretical development and practical application of vaults made from wood and canes or reeds (camorcanna vaults) in the Neapolitan construction tradition between the 16th and first half of the 18th century. In particular, a survey of architectural manuals, and their interpretation, is intertwined with the study of the historical documentation relating to some of the most significant construction projects in Naples, among which the Cathedral represents an emblematic case specifically analysed. Through a constant comparison between historical sources and actual buildings, the paper – the result of ongoing research – aims to fill in a gap in our knowledge as regards the history of Neapolitan construction techniques, with significant implications for the conservation and mitigation of the vulnerability of these structures.