“Knowledge and recovery of military architecture. The 'urban' castle of Pomarico (Italy)”

To know is to document and, thus, to ensure the memory of man-made actions; it could becomes an important element for recovery and restoration interventions. In fact, to analyze a monument from an historical, technological and material point of view means to understand the complex system of relationships among its parts, but also with the environment in which it is located. The above becomes extremely important in the case of "urban castles", where the military architecture can not be separated from the building fabric in which it is inserted. These architectures was built to defend the city and they have different characteristics over the centuries. They are the generating elements of new urban centers (or new military settlements within centers already structured) and become the symbol of the power of the king on the community as well as the last bastion to conquer the enemy, in case of siege. The research focus upon the castle of Pomarico (Basilicata-Italy). Through an analysis of technological and construction systems, the research aims to propose a methodology of study and analysis for this architectural evidence that has lost its primary function and is in a state of neglect and decay. The dialectic of conservation consists, therefore, in antinomy between the conservation of matter and conservation of the image. Between these extremes lies a third element constituted by value or by a system of values that the monument has. The most current guidelines of the method seen in the "integrated conservation" (understood as the result of the combined techniques of restoration and research the appropriate functions) the goal that it would like to pursue.