La Carta di Venezia alla prova del tempo. Autenticità e ambiente come temi di indagine tra materia e sostanza

The Venice Charter represents a moment of particular importance for the disciplines of conservation, capable of substantially modifying the reasons for the 20th-century debate, overcoming the now-old visions of the first part of the century, opening to a new contemporary interpretation, more mature and conscious. This opening meant at the same time, however, the initiation of a necessary complexification of the idea of heritage and cultural good, in which we can read the prodromes of current contemporary directions. From these premises, the essay proposes a reinterpretation of some concepts that have already been extensively investigated by scholars in the field, but with the desire, in addition to delving into their historical bearing, to test their validity in the contemporary and to understand whether the initial postulates can still be shared today. In particular, the essay intends to investigate the contemporary dimension of two foundational aspects of the Venetian Document (authenticity and environment) by hypothesizing a historiographical reading of the development that, starting from the notions of 1964 have enriched the existing debate leading to a contemporary interpretation of these concepts. With regard to authenticity, the contribution will emphasize the obvious links between the Venice Charter and subsequent documents (including that of Nara) in order to understand the current repercussions of the theme with a view to its expendability on the level of intervention on the built environment. Around the theme of environment and context, an attempt will also be made to search for some disciplinary roots in restoration theory to reaffirm its importance from an epistemological point of view. With these observations, the essay proposes a thematic reading of the Venice document with a view to its better understanding and valorization also in a contemporary key, as a fundamental tool for the definition of the debate not only of the 20th century but also of today.