Conoscenza e approccio architettonico per la conservazione del Castello di Mirto Crosia in Calabria (Italy)

The feudal castle of Mirto Crosia, situated in the province of Cosenza, in the region Calabria (Italy), is characterized by various widespread forms of biological degradation. Being fully aware that the study of degradation phenomena must be carried out following a strict analytical method, this paper shows the importance of resorting to multidisciplinary contributions and skills from different experts and of proceeding by increasing levels of detail. The study of the castle is a validation test of the method adopted. The research activity, which was aimed at getting the full knowledge of the monument, focused, above all, on its degradation and, specifically, on the detection, identification and analysis of the effects of the degradation caused by biological agents. The procedure adopted consisted in a preliminary phase aimed at the definition of the environmental and urban context as well as at the development of the anamnesis. The subsequent phases were dedicated to the analysis of the constituent materials, to their state of conservation and to a series of laboratory analyses conducted on representative samples of material taken systematically from the castle and useful to highlight and characterize the different degradation pathologies found on its surfaces.