Current trends in the restoration and museum conversion of old buildings

The attitude towards existing elements today shows a certain prevalence of operations aimed at restoring original conditions or enacting drastic maintenance work on ancient facades; only in a small proportion can one see qualified insertions of contemporary architecture and there are even fewer instances of restoration interventions grounded on a true and respecful understanding of the ancient work. The enunciations of restoration underline a substantial convergence in the recognition of the respect for the historical and critical process of the oeuvre and the insertions of the new, or rather, of the contemporary for consolidation or for functional adaptation. The fundamental issue today, in Italy and in the world, is not constituted by the nuances in thought within the scientific community, but lies rather in finding a point of convergence with all the cultural and productive elements, to commune between science and the economy in the sector of cultural heritage. These brief reflections urge one to consider the museums of our time not ad closed locations reserved for scholars. They are open to the world community, but must not be merely testimonies of globali sation and of technical or technological efficiency, rather, they must continue to present and guard our memories, promoting knowledge and fruition in a correct equilibrium between the ancient and the new.