Water and architecture and the fountain of Eolo in the park of the Royal Palace of caserta

The wonderful park of the Royal Palace of Caserta, which is characterized by an axis lined with spectacular fountains with basins and falls, illustrates the importance and the role of water in architecture. In particular, fountains typify the context of which they are part and become elements of recognisability of the spaces giving them a strong identity. This paper shows the structure and organization of an advanced diagnostic plan applied to the Fountain of Aeolus, the only one of the six monumental fountains of the park of the Royal Palace of Caserta that has remained unfinished. Built between the late XVIII century and the early XIX century, the fountain is made of an exedra with progressively larger arcades that contain caves simulating the houses of the winds. The hemicycle, richly adorned with statues epresenting the winds, encloses a large basin fed by a fall. The knowledge process includes a preliminary phase aimed at contextualizing the monumental complex from a historical, geographical and environmental point of view. A second phase is devoted to diagnosis, which includes the anamnesis illustrated by aphotographic dossier and the study of the characterization of materials and of their deterioration, particularly referring to one of the statues adorning the fountain. Finally, a phase of post-diagnosis proposes actions of valorisation and conservation.