The Conservation of Vittone’s Built Heritage, between Historical Knowledge and Preservation Strategies

Abstract

Any attempt to discuss the origins of the historiography on Bernardo Antonio Vittone inevitably ends up highlighting the role of Eugenio Olivero: the first scholar of the twentieth century to analyse and study Vittone’s architecture with both passion and technical curiosity, pursuing an integrated approach between historical research and architectural analysis. Olivero’s legacy (as collected in his archives, now at the Accademia delle Scienze in Turin) has been analysed in this essay, both as a key to access Vittone’s own work and career, and as a way to discuss the history of preservation and restoration of his architectural heritage. A review of restorations realized in the last twenty years has also been carried out, showing that several issues in the preservation of the identity of Vittone’s architecture are still open. The road leading to a more conscious and effective preservation of the common characters of this architecture may lie in a greater sharing of these experiences, and in the interoperability of the data collected in the restoration interventions.