Palinsesto e opera compiuta. Una riflessione su interventi e premesse teoriche per superare le dicotomie del restauro

In historical architecture, as in restoration, the horizon of the palimpsest appears to be defined by the acceptance of plurality and fragmentation, by the evidence and attention to material authenticity, by the preference for the historical-documentary character - considered objectifiable - of the building. In contrast, the perspective of the completed work suggests a preference for unity and visual coherence as well as a pursuit of aesthetic balance, which is hard to define using logical and scientific evidence alone. Historiography and theories have often returned the path of restoration in architecture in this oppositional key, divided between the assertive practice of figurative remaking and the precautionary practice of preservation, with intermediate declinations of different natures. Often, however, the dichotomy between palimpsest and completed work translates, on the operational level, into the search for a balance point capable of guaranteeing both historical-documentary evidence and expressive effectiveness to the historical factory. The essay aims to show, however, that this search does not constitute an exclusively design problem, to be exercised on a case-by-case basis, but must conversely be considered the central conceptual node of contemporary reflection.