METHODOLOGICAL STUDY FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE DIAGNOSTIC PLAN OF SANGINETO CASTLE (CS)

Any action in the field of cultural heritage should always aim at the protection and conservation of monuments, vestiges of historical ages and human events. Time, with its constant action, loads works with a store of very precious information, but, at the same time, causes their deterioration and decay, which, if not properly stopped, lead to their inevitable destruction. In order to contrast this action, it is necessary to plan suitable and targeted operations of prevention and conservation, which are defined on the basis of information deriving from the in-depth knowledge of the monument. The situation is rather complex, especially in the case of a completely deteriorated and decayed monument, such as Sangineto Castle, which is situated in the province of Cosenza, Italy. The multidisciplinary study carried out on Sangineto Castle, which started from a preliminary historical and architectural investigation and from a graphical reconstruction, allowed determining the diagnostic procedures necessary to get specific knowledge about the constituent materials and the diseases of the building. In particular, the microscopic and SEM analyses conducted on representative stone samples allowed identifying and classifying the material as carbonate rocks, which are among the most common sedimentary rocks. Carbonate rocks are made up of organogenic structures that form and develop where they are deposited thanks to the action of various organisms that secrete calcium carbonate or favour its precipitation. A correct and detailed analysis allows obtaining data to create an adequate conservation plan that must, however, be verified through experimental compatibility tests in order to avoid actions which may clash with existing elements. The purpose of this paper is to point out that it is not possible to devise conservation and restoration works without a diagnostic plan that may help understand and interpret the building as a whole.