An advanced diagnostic plan to enhance the ruins of the Castle “della Valle” in Fiumefreddo Bruzio, Calabria, Italy

Though only ruins remain of the Castle “della Valle” (IT), situated in the municipality of Fiumefreddo Bruzio in Calabria, a region in the south of Italy, it is however possible to reconstruct the original plant. The ruins are strongly attractive because they are in a scenic position on a spur overlooking the south-eastern side of Fiumefreddo Bruzio, which lies on the Tyrrhenian coast. This study underlines the need to adopt an advanced diagnostic plan that allows acquiring knowledge on the castle through contributions from different fields of expertise. The study of the ruins was interdisciplinary and entailed the analysis of its environmental and territorial context, a phase of anamnesis, and, finally, a phase of diagnosis. The last-mentioned phase included the analysis of the constituent materials of the castle which, in this study, is described, by way of example, as the laboratory characterization of a representative sample. Since all the information gathered allows for better knowledge of the castle, it has the final goal to lead to enhancement actions that are as suitable as possible.