THE OLD FACTORY “LA CERAMO": ARAB RELICS IN THE CITY OF VALENCIA

The paper presents the preliminary results of a research activity focused on the recovery of the majolica’s old factory "La Ceramo" in Valencia involving the Polytechnic University of Valencia and the University of Basilicata. The factory was founded by José Ros in the late nineteenth century in a peripheral area of the city near the Turia river from which both water and clay were taken in order to produce at industrial scale the Hispano-Moorish majolica with the characteristic metallic reflection according to the ancient Mudejar technological cycle dating back to the fifteenth century. In addition to the adoption of the original production technology, the factory was also designed in the subdivision of spaces according to the model of the mudejares craft workshops with areas intended for the residence of workers, production areas and exhibition spaces where the sale of the produced materials also took place. The most important historical buildings of the time, such as the Colon Market and the Railway Station, owe their beauty and uniqueness to the glitter of the colorful colors of ceramic coverings and ornamental elements produced by Ceramo. The factory has produced majolica, which are considered the symbol of the extraordinary syncretism between the Arab culture and the Spanish culture in the city of Valencia, until the year 1992. Thereafter, the factory has suffered continuous damage and degradation due to the complete state of abandonment of the industrial complex. This work illustrates a survey of the buildings current state with a detailed analysis of the typical Valencian construction technologies used in the construction of the factory’s enclosures. The obtained results can be considered the starting point for the elaboration of a proposal of factory’s recovery able to preserve the historical memory of the place and, at the same time, to make the factory from a ruin to a monument of the city by the adoption of technological solutions and materials consistent with those originally used in construction.