Auswahl der wissenschaftlichen Literatur zum Thema „Palazzo Biscari (Catania, Italy)“

This study aimed to evaluate the soil–structure interaction of three historical buildings at the University of Catania using ambient noise. The results point out the different oscillation modes of Villa Cerami and Palazzo Boscarino buildings sharing a side. They also show different damping values, which are probably linked to the different rigidities of the structures, since one is a masonry building and the other is a reinforced concrete building without earthquake-resistant design. Villa Zingali Tetto, a reinforced concrete building without earthquake-resistant design, showed significant torsional effects, which may be related to the geometrical and material irregularities of the structure. Comparison of the buildings’ fundamental periods and site frequencies did not show potential soil–structure resonance effects. Modelling of the local seismic response confirms the obtained experimental site frequencies, suggesting that there are no important amplification factors. On the other hand, from both of the computed Spectral and Peak Ground Accelerations for an Mw 7.3 earthquake, intensity values were estimated for which Villa Cerami could suffer heavy structural damage, and Palazzo Boscarino and Villa Zingali Tetto very heavy non-structural damage. Additional engineering investigations, aimed at reducing seismic vulnerability, are necessary to improve the safety of these heritage buildings considering they are also used for educational purposes.

The present work discusses the challenges and approaches involved in conserving cultural heritage (CH), specifically focusing on eco-friendly conservation methods and the management of biodeterioration. It highlights the need for innovative protocols that align with green conservation criteria, aiming to replace traditional, potentially harmful practices with sustainable alternatives. This study is based on the role of nanomaterials like halloysite in developing protective coatings for CH materials. Additionally, the issues of biological colonization on CH assets, the difficulties in controlling environmental factors affecting biodeterioration, and the use of direct methods in outdoor conservation were also evaluated. This work is specifically focused on a case study: the “Palazzo Centrale dell’ Università” in Catania (Italy), where alternative, eco-friendly protectives and biocides have been tested on Hyblean limestones. After a preliminary study of the lithology and the forms of degradation which affect the whole monument, laboratory tests were carried out using the newly developed protective coatings on several types of Hyblean limestone in order to assess their efficacy and their impact on the stone. Furthermore, cleaning operations were also tested on-site by comparing an eco-friendly biocide with commercial counterparts in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the products and establish an efficient restoration protocol for future projects.

La tesi affronta la tematica del rapporto tra le arti e l’architettura, ricorrente nei dibattiti culturali sin dalla primigenia antinomia téchne/ars ma di particolare importanza nella prima metà del Novecento. Dapprima la questione viene inquadrata a livello generale, tramite l’analisi di tre episodi peculiari dei primi decenni del ventesimo secolo, ossia: la quinta edizione della Triennale di Milano del 1933, consacrata alla pittura murale; il sesto Convegno Volta del 1936, dedicato al tema “Rapporti dell’architettura con le arti figurative”; la promulgazione della Legge del 2%, che prevedeva la destinazione di almeno la suddetta percentuale, rispetto al totale della spesa preventivata, per la realizzazione di decorazioni artistiche negli edifici pubblici da costruire. In seguito l’analisi si sofferma sulla particolare tipologia edilizia monumentale dei Palazzi di Giustizia: sono presentati brevemente tutti gli edifici costruiti in Italia dall’unificazione nazionale agli anni Cinquanta del Novecento, mentre un maggior approfondimento è riservato ai due casi che costituiscono i modelli di riferimento: il Palazzo di Giustizia di Roma, progettato alla fine del diciannovesimo secolo da Guglielmo Calderini, ed il Palazzo di Giustizia di Milano, progettato negli anni Trenta da Marcello Piacentini, uno dei principali protagonisti della ricerca. Successivamente il medesimo tema viene indagato affrontando l'analisi dei tre Palazzi di Giustizia costruiti in Sicilia, nell’arco temporale individuato, a Messina, a Catania ed a Palermo. Dal confronto dei tre casi emergono le peculiarità di ciascun edificio, le caratteristiche comuni e le diverse declinazioni della tematica in relazione al contesto, al periodo storico, alle esigenze funzionali ed ai mutamenti estetici ed architettonici avvenuti nel giro di pochi anni in Italia. L’analisi restituisce, quindi, una dettagliata descrizione degli aspetti architettonici ed artistici degli edifici e si prefigge di inquadrare le figure degli architetti che li progettarono – Marcello Piacentini, Francesco Fichera e Gaetano ed Ernesto Rapisardi – e dei numerosi artisti coinvolti nella realizzazione dell’apparato decorativo esterno ed interno dei Palazzi, tracciandone dei profili biografici e ricostruendone la produzione. Lo studio, perciò, non si limita alla messa in evidenza delle vicende e dei caratteri progettuali, costruttivi e decorativi dei tre casi ma individua le evoluzioni stilistiche avvenute a livello architettonico ed artistico. Inoltre intende tracciare i rapporti e le connessioni esistenti fra i protagonisti, individuandoli non soltanto tramite le consuete indagini bibliografiche ma anche attraverso le analisi archivistiche e lo spoglio di riviste specialistiche dell’epoca, come “Architettura e Arti Decorative”, “Architettura”, “Emporium” e molte altre, e di alcuni quotidiani coevi alle fasi realizzative dei Palazzi. I numerosi documenti individuati, infatti, costituiscono l'ossatura portante del racconto e vi sono inseriti con continuità allo scopo di restituire le dinamiche intercorse e taluni dettagli altrimenti trascurati dalle fonti bibliografiche esistenti.
The thesis addresses the theme of the relationship between arts and architecture, recurring in cultural debates for many centuries but of particular importance in the first decades of the twentieth century: first, it frames it at a general level, through the analysis of three peculiar episodes, namely the fifth edition of the “Triennale di Milano” in 1933, dedicated to mural painting, the sixth “Convegno Volta” in 1936, conference devoted to the theme “Relationships of Architecture with the Figurative Arts”, and the promulgation of the “2% Law”, which provided for the allocation of at least the aforementioned percentage to artistic decorations in relation to the total expenditure planned for public buildings to be constructed. The analysis then dwells on a particular type of monumental building, that of the Palace of Justice: all the buildings constructed from the unification of Italy to the 1950s are briefly presented, focusing on the two cases that constitute the reference models, namely the Palace of Justice in Rome, designed at the end of the nineteenth century by Guglielmo Calderini, and the Palace of Justice in Milan, designed in the 1930s by Marcello Piacentini, which is one of the main protagonists of research. Subsequently, the same theme is investigated in depth in three specific cases, namely the Palaces of Justice built in Sicily during the defined period, in Messina, Catania and Palermo. The comparison of the three cases reveals the peculiarities, the common characteristics and the different declinations of the theme in relation to the context, the historical period, the functional requirements and the aesthetic and architectural changes occurred in a few years. The analysis returns, therefore, a detailed description of the architectural and artistic aspects of the three Palaces and reconstructs the figures of the architects who designed them – Marcello Piacentini, Francesco Fichera and Gaetano and Ernesto Rapisardi respectively – and of the numerous artists involved in the realization of the external and internal decorative apparatus of the buildings, tracing their biographical profiles and reconstructing their production. The study, however, is not limited to highlight the individual characteristics of the three cases but identifies the stylistic evolutions that took place at an architectural and artistic level in those years. Moreover, it traces the relationships and connections between the protagonists, identified not only by means of bibliographical surveys but also through numerous archival analyses and the perusal of specialized magazines, such as "Architettura e Arti Decorative", "Architettura", "Emporium" and many others, and some newspapers of the period. The several documents identified, in fact, constitute the backbone of the story, with the aim of returning the dynamics that took place and certain details otherwise neglected by the existing bibliographic sources.

This chapter discusses the ballroom of the Palazzo Biscari in Catania in terms of its centrality to noble distinction. The ballroom’s liquid and reflecting decoration, and its materials of gold, glass, and stucco, are refined and delicate, like the lightness and delicacy that aristocrats putatively possessed. Ballrooms, dance, and the training of aristocratic bodies allowed the nobility to maintain distinction through a similar lightness and refinement. This relates to Pierre Bourdieu’s work on habitus, social class, and self-fashioning. Rather than discussing the ballroom as an empty shell, the chapter attempts to repopulate it by investigating the entertainments and dances it enabled, and the way dancing and the ballroom were essential to the realisation of aristocratic habitus and what could be called ‘the work of aristocracy’.