Identification of further reserch and analysis

edited by Monica Morbidelli

Restoration planning, by its very nature, implies an element of uncertainty given the difficulty of acquiring prior knowledge of all the historical, artistic and structural components of the artefact before physically treating it. This factor makes it difficult to precisely evaluate the necessary treatments and assess their overall cost. Despite this, both for scientific and planning reasons and for more strictly economic and organizational reasons, our intention is to limit the unknown factors to the minimum.

To this end, precise and systematic preliminary studies are being carried out that provide the many fundamental indications necessary to decide how best to direct the treatment operations of the project during its elaboration. Investigations carried out into the level and nature of the deterioration using the 'worksite card system' has lead to the specification of the type of tests and analysis necessary (now in progress).

The following have been proposed:
-cleaning tests on the brick paving (oxidized parts and cemented parts).
-cleaning tests on stone elements (coupled orders and relative support slabs, pilasters, archeological fragments).
-cleaning tests on painted and unpainted intonaco.
-stratigraphic tests through the preparation of small square sample areas and chromatic scales using the scalpel and through the analysis of stratigraphic sections, in order to determine the color changes of the surfaces over time and their possible decorations (on the wall, lunette, vault, facade).
investigative tests through the removal of small areas of intonaco in order to check characteristics and type; the purpose of these tests is to answer various questions relating to history, composition of the material and conditions of deterioration. o archeological excavation surveys carried out with the aim of furthering historical and material knowledge of the monument and acquiring information on the static condition of the foundations, the distribution of humidity and movement of water in the soil. In particular, a large excavation will be made on the north side of the open space within the cloister to look for evidence of the offset of the foundations of the wall on which the columns rest and to search for the foundation wall of the aisle of the Carolingian basilica and its floor level.

The excavations will be carried out with the stratigraphic method and all the stratigraphic units identified will be graphically recorded and the archeological fragments that come to light will be catalogued. Samples of all the constituent materials that it is possible to take without causing any damage to the cloister will be collected and forwarded for laboratory analysis.