Cupole maiolicate in Puglia. Criteri e metodi nel percorso della conoscenza finalizzata alla conservazione (paragrafo "2. Studio comparativo di cuspidi e cupole maiolicate. Alcuni casi in corso di studio", pp. 73-79)

This contribution aims to add a piece to the knowledge of some distinctive characteristics of the constructive tradition in Puglia which attribute a strong identity not only to the individual monuments but also to the urban organisms of which they are elements emerging from a high symbolic value. In particular, it is intended to focus attention on specific construction techniques that can solve the practical problem of waterproofing of domes and cusps of bell towers without separating this goal from aesthetic requirements; we show that we have a solution using majolica coatings with polychromatic scales. This research does not only propose the study of the materials and the techniques for the realization of some emblematic cases, but it highlights, through a comparative investigation which makes a synchrony in relation a plurality of structures, the peculiar and recurrent characters of the majolica covers found in the Apulian region. According to this analysis, a census was carried out in the six provinces of the region, aimed at cataloguing the domed roofs of the religious buildings characterized by majolica coatings. The initial list made it possible to carry out a comparative study of the shapes, the geometries and the construction types, but it also allowed to understand how the phenomenon, widely diffused in Campania, Sicily, Sardinia and Liguria, was propagated in Puglia. The geometry, the color, the shape of the individual shingles and the relative disposition on the domed architectural structures show how the laying of these cladding elements is not random or determined by a mere decorative intent. The deepening of the relationship that exists between the geometries of the domed architectural structures and that of the cladding shingles, shows how both the geometry of the domes and the cusps contribute to condition the conformation and the interconnection of the polychrome majolica tiles placed to protect against meteoric waters. Awareness of all these aspects is the fundamental prerequisite for evaluating the general conservation status and proposing precise guidelines useful to guide any maintenance, reintegration and functional performance improvement with the purpose of safeguarding indisputable testimonies of art and history. In fact, only if we promote knowledge, research and good maintenance practices, we will be able to pursue a genuine protection of the architectural heritage and the historical city.

Il presente contributo intende aggiungere un tassello alla conoscenza di alcuni caratteri distintivi della tradizione costruttiva in Puglia che attribuiscono una forte identità ai singoli monumenti ma anche agli organismi urbani di cui essi sono gli elementi emergenti dall’elevato valore simbolico. In particolare s’intende focalizzare l’attenzione su accorgimenti costruttivi particolari che riescono a risolvere il problema pratico dell’impermeabilizzazione di cupole e cuspidi di campanili non disgiungendolo da esigenze di ordine estetico, e risolto ricorrendo a rivestimenti con embrici maiolicati policromi a squame. La ricerca non propone soltanto lo studio dei materiali e delle tecniche di realizzazione di alcuni casi emblematici, ma evidenzia, mediante un’indagine comparativa che mette sincronicamente in relazione una pluralità di strutture, i caratteri peculiari e ricorrenti delle coperture maiolicate presenti sul territorio pugliese.