The architectures of Lucchesian villas gardens: proposal of conservation procedure on a diffused heritage system

The Tuscan town of Lucca has around its famous walls a complex system of more than 300 villas developed since 15th century. Their gardens are characterized by different architectures: fountains, grottos, nymphaeums, etc. Three were the elements mainly used: vegetation, minerals and water. Properly mixed, they give birth to micro-cosmos where natural and artificial materials meet art. Today most of these architectures show an high level of damage, due both to their disuse and to atmospheric factors. The research was developed creating a specific cataloguing format for the architectures of six Villas gardens and performing non-destructive tests on materials in order to know if there are damaging factors to be immediately solved and to monitor their future deterioration. First of all, an archive research about each villa and its history was done to establish – if possible – the different building periods and data about materials and their provenience. All the elements of the garden were then identified and catalogued. Then a specific form about every element was reported: pictures, description of the building and of the different materials used to create and restore it and a report about its conservation level. This forms were created especially to be inserted in a geo-referenced system (GIS), in order to design a specific map of this villas system and to be used for tourist promotion. Non-destructive tests – macroscopy, stereomicroscopy and chemical analysis on stone materials – were then planned, partially performed and inserted in a format related to the specific building. These tests will become the basis for other future analysis and research on these architectures, until now analyzed just from an historical point of view. Each format will be given to the landlords too, in order to create a complete document about the actual extent of the damage and a basis for future analyses of their maintenance conditions. Periodical checks will be planned regularly. The constant monitoring will be possible only if the landlords themselves will be involved in it.