CONSERVAZIONE E VALORIZZAZIONE DI UN’ARCHITETTURA DEL SUOLO: LA LATOMIA DEI CAPPUCCINI A SIRACUSA

Francesca Castagneto

Università degli Studi di Catania _ Dipartimento di Architettura  piazza Federico di Svevia  Siracusa  f.castagneto@unict.it

Abstract

The paper refers to an interdisciplinary research conducted within the Faculty of Architecture in Syracuse on the conservation and enhancement of Latomia dei Cappuccini whose special characters are the following: produced by subtracting, made following the technical specifications and criteria, originally underground, but for many centuries "open".

The Latomia is a place of great morphological complexity and equally complex history, the important buildings of the classical period that characterize the historical centre of Syracuse have been made with stone extracted from the limestone cliff where the excavation work is made .

The latomia is now a place "equipped" is a historical garden, hosts theatre performances and cultural events, the shape of the spaces along paths that connect them, allows this use. For these reasons have been the subject of attention that make up the rock walls invaded by many points of view:

- The geometric characters;

- The testimonies in which the early Christian tombs carved into the stone mass;

- The texture of surfaces as a result of the techniques and tools used for digging;

- The degradation of the stone material according to the vertical development and in relation to the microclimatic conditions.

Similarly the analysis of the environmental system concerned:

- The succession of rooms that enjoys today as a maze;

- The articulation of the garden in the differentiation of areas and species;

- The use of space in relation to safety regulations;

- The potential for integration with the urban surroundings.

Key-words: conservation, historical garden, urban renewal