Around the town of Lucca (Tuscany, Italy), a system of about 300 villas developed between the 15th and 19th centuries. All villas have common features from both an architectural and a technological point of view. They form a complex system of cultural heritage, which has a lot of variety with a uniquely Lucchesian character. On the palazzi and other buildings in the villas, successive lime-based renders and (colored) surface finishes were applied, resulting in a complex stratigraphy. Also, in the case of an elaborate villa system like that of Lucca, restoration usually concentrates on single buildings, and a general approach does not exist. The effort to characterize the historic building materials and to understand their technology is disproportionate compared to the advantage that could be reached by analyzing the villa system as a whole. In the case of the Lucchesian villas, a research project was undertaken to analyze the system as a whole by characterizing the chemical, physical, and petrographical properties of the renders of a selection of villas to avoid the repetition of expensive testing. As a starting point, four villas were studied, each composed of more than one building. Petrographic investigation was used to identify composition, stratigraphy, and mutual relationships of the renders from the villas. It was shown that mortar (aggregate) composition relates to the local territory of the villas, while identical mortars were used for both the prominent buildings of the villas, such as the palazzi, and the lesser ones. From the proven performance of some renders and the microscopic analysis of their composition, durable mortars for restoration of the villas might be designed. All collected data were inserted in a specific database to be consulted both by professionals and owners.
Stratigraphy and successive composition of renders of a villa system: the Lucca case
Laura Bolondi;
2011-01-01
Abstract
Around the town of Lucca (Tuscany, Italy), a system of about 300 villas developed between the 15th and 19th centuries. All villas have common features from both an architectural and a technological point of view. They form a complex system of cultural heritage, which has a lot of variety with a uniquely Lucchesian character. On the palazzi and other buildings in the villas, successive lime-based renders and (colored) surface finishes were applied, resulting in a complex stratigraphy. Also, in the case of an elaborate villa system like that of Lucca, restoration usually concentrates on single buildings, and a general approach does not exist. The effort to characterize the historic building materials and to understand their technology is disproportionate compared to the advantage that could be reached by analyzing the villa system as a whole. In the case of the Lucchesian villas, a research project was undertaken to analyze the system as a whole by characterizing the chemical, physical, and petrographical properties of the renders of a selection of villas to avoid the repetition of expensive testing. As a starting point, four villas were studied, each composed of more than one building. Petrographic investigation was used to identify composition, stratigraphy, and mutual relationships of the renders from the villas. It was shown that mortar (aggregate) composition relates to the local territory of the villas, while identical mortars were used for both the prominent buildings of the villas, such as the palazzi, and the lesser ones. From the proven performance of some renders and the microscopic analysis of their composition, durable mortars for restoration of the villas might be designed. All collected data were inserted in a specific database to be consulted both by professionals and owners.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
