The knowledge system of Sicilian fortified dwelling-places: materials and building techniques related to Villa-Castle Maeggio in Siracusa countryside

Abstract

The recovery process of the building starts from a basic phase of knowledge whose roots are to be searched in the materials and of the constructive technologies employed, and it takes into account the history of the building and how it changed over the years.It is therefore necessary to examine the technological aspects by comparing both the materials and the constructive principles with those of areas having similar features, such as the fortified buildings in the south-east of Sicily. The case-study is a fortified villa designed in 1781 by Luciano Alì, an architect and builder who worked in Syracuse at the end of the 16th century.This building, consisting of a central part and four quadrangular towers at the corners, has a strong decorative impact. This study aims to identify the materials and the constructive characteristics of the building, pointing out its peculiarities and assembling an informative system based on the original documents describing the technological choices. The investigation connected to the recovery consists in the systematisation of historical, documentary and technological data and the creation of a guideline.