Storia, tecniche e restauro nell'isola di Cipro. History, techniques and restoration in the island of Cyprus

The paper outlines some case studies in the territory of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a complex area with regard to cultural heritage. The experiences developed within the International Centre for Heritage Studies of Girne American University, directed by the author, include the Monastery of Acheiropoietos, the towers of the medieval fortifications of Kyrenia, the Castle of S. Hylarion and the Castle of Kyrenia. The historical documentation, the study of masonry types and mortars, the archival investigations, the architectural survey with advanced digital techniques, the survey of the degradation, and finally the restoration and architectural project, were accomplished in several years of field research, in order to reconstitute a complete disciplinary framework. The documentation of the artifacts aims at identifying the construction as a historical material source, in parallel with the scarce documentary sources for the reconstruction of the complex medieval history of the island. The restoration project, with the active collaboration of the School of Specialization in Architectural Heritage and Landscape, the Master course in Architecture / Restoration of ‘Sapienza’ University of Rome is part of a wide organizational framework that includes local authorities, UNDP and the Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage. The surveys carried out with the collaboration of the Department of History, Design and Restoration of Architecture (DSDRA) of ‘Sapienza’ University of Rome and the Department of Architecture of the University of Florence, intend to acquire the necessary documentation, in a context that has barely been studied, before the uncontrolled urban management will very obliterate the historical memory forever. Finally, project experimentation in archaeological and historical contexts, with the attention derived from the rational application of Cesare Brandi’s principles of restoration to the architectural and interior design domain, intends to continue the ongoing process of the architectural organism, placing the contemporary project in continuity with the ancient constructions, by carefully avoiding any historicist mimicry and using a contemporary language. The relationship between analysis and project therefore becomes organic and necessary, proposing an operational model for cultural heritage in a disputed territory such as the Cypriot one.