Guidelines for the planned conservation and restoration of the ruins of Ninfa. A tool for the proper management of the fragile balance between architecture and vegetation

In a complex site as the Garden of Ninfa, the conservation practices of the ruins, carried out through both circumscribed and wide-ranging interventions, represent an essential means for the maintenance of the aesthetical value of the site. The recent series of interventions, promoted by the Roffredo Caetani Foundation over the last two decades, show a changed approach, which has also highlighted the importance of developing an integrated management method, based on the principles of planned conservation and environmental and economic sustainability. This methodological development constitutes the basis for the proposal of 'Guidelines for the Planned Conservation and Restoration of the Ruins of the Garden of Ninfa', a programmatic document in the process of being completed, that outlines the conservation methods to be applied to these structures. The methodological framework of the Guidelines summarises a logical process that, starting from the analysis of the characteristics of existing structures and the general assessment of risk factors and levels, intends to determine the most urgent interventions and the possible coherent processing methods. It is a process aimed at a less time-consuming and economically more sustainable management, as it rationalises the programming and determines, over a medium-long period of time, a much lower cost and greater protection of the site, producing a beneficial return for the community and in terms of environmental sustainability.