3D digital modelling as a method for the reconstruction of the historical image of the city: the case of piazza Bodoni in Turin (Italy) at the end of nineteenth century

The experience that I want to present consists of the case of piazza Bodoni in Turin, characterized, between 1866 and 1924 by the presence of an original pavilion dedicated to market. The 3D digital reconstruction allows to recognize the role that the building of the market plays in the characterization and identification of this specific urban location as an essential element in the image of the city. To reconstruct the architectural and urban morphology of the place, I have conducted researches on iconographical records of the urban setting and of the historical market at the Turin city archives. In my researches I discovered a large number of tables, consisting of city plans of the area and architectural designs of the buildings around the square. The research project was also based on other information culled from period photographs sources in others archives and in bibliographic sources. The rich iconography that emerged from the archival records has enabled me to address the research to an attempt to simulate the activities of market that existed historically within his specific location. The data drawn from historical-archival and bibliographical sources were compared and integrated with the planimetrical and altimetrical survey, prepared by me, of still existing buildings. I designed the virtual piazza Bodoni with its market, consisting in a closed pavilion that was demolished in the 1920s. The 3D perspective visualizations of the square, revealed an image that reminds the paintings of the “ideal cities” of Italian Renaissance.