El Castillo Aragonés de Tarento. El papel del conocimiento en el proyecto de restauración

The Castle of Taranto, pole of the defense system of the Old City, stands on a site including the remains of several fortifications that followed one after the other from the 4rd century BC. From 1861 it became the barracks of the Navy which after the war began to dismantle the additions of the post-unification age and from 2003 launched archaeological excavation and restoration campaigns. In the belief that restoration cannot ignore the knowledge of historical events, it was essential to directly and indirectly analyze the monument, its constituent materials, construction techniques, stratigraphy and forms of degradation that identify the unique and unrepeatable identifying characteristics. The project addresses complex, highly interrelated issues: the need to conserve the ancient material and the signs of historical stratifications, with the aim of restoring the castle’s spatial concatenation and form.