Interpretations of the Middle Age in Central and Southern Italy

Abstract

The essay proposes a comparison between the interpretation of the architecture of the Middle Ages in France and in Central and Southern Italy. The process of damnatio memoriae during the French Revolution caused the destruction of the most important monuments and historical buildings of the Middle Ages. As a consequence, this widespread destruction later produced great interest in Gothic architecture and its restoration in the supposed original style. This phenomenon involved historians, and scholars in general, in a re-discovery of the culture of the Middle Ages which, in the field of architecture, had, in Viollet-le-Duc, a great protagonist. The process of re-appropriation of the medieval past, adopted in France by Viollet-le-Duc was introduced into Italy thanks to many Italian architects, such as Giuseppe Partini who, in Siena, trained a pool of artisans and craftsmen with great ability in reproducing forms and decorations from the Middle Ages. However, as the examples quoted in the essay show, reference to the Middle Ages in 19th century architecture sometimes only shows a generic quotation of forms and languages coming from the past.

However, after the earthquake in 1908 which destroyed towns and villages in the area of the Strait of Messina, reconstruction or new construction of palaces, castles and churches, in a Gothic-like style, cannot be compared to transfer of the cultured experiences of Viollet-le-Duc in France.