Summary of the Proceedings and Papers Presented at - World ...

Initial ideas regarding a project
for restoring and improving the
“Casa dell’Ancora” in Pompeii
by Giovanna Spadafora and Fabrizio Pesando
The following notes are based on observations made
while surveying and studying the architectural
features of the Casa dell’Ancora and underscore
the need to reconsider and re-evaluate the space
around archaeological remains, without going into specific
questions linked to the type of work and the nature of the
materials used. Understanding the space (in other words,
the architecture) is therefore the focal point around which a
line of reasoning develops with regard to carrying out work
on ancient sites. This of course brings up problems of a formal
nature and of method.
In the case of archaeological areas or sites located in
urban surroundings, the first question regards establishing
what ancient architecture represents today within a modern
urban landscape and is therefore (closely linked to the first)
a question of what action to take. More specifically, the ancient
town of Pompeii raises two problems at the same time:
not only its relationship with the modern town, but also the
need to re-examine the urban fabric, no longer viewed only
as place of memory, but also as a landscape in continuous
transformation.
An initial step could be to review the shape and layout
of the “insulae” by reconstructing the boundary walls, which
at present are incomplete and open onto views and vistas
that are inappropriate for ancient dwellings. Subsequently,
it would be important to deal with the individual buildings in
order to recreate their original appearance, even improving
certain aspects by using some modern elements that would
make it possible to understand more than just their archaeological
significance.
In the case in question, the most interesting part is certainly
the rear of the building. The architectural layout, made
up of the garden with crypto-portico, upper loggia and triclinari
rooms, is disturbed by the collapsed floor of the loggia
and the upper part of the columns and pillars, which alternated
along the perimeter. Today there is a good view from
here, which is widened even further by the absence of the
boundary wall with the adjoining Casa del Naviglio, therefore
expanding the dwelling’s private space towards the outside.
This means it no longer corresponds to the typical Pompeii
dwelling, which was closed to the outside and open to the
inside with atriums and peristyles.
The state of conservation of the Casa dell’Ancora is fairly
good in structural terms, while little or nothing remains of
the wall paintings and the floors. Therefore, the first task
italiano
could be to restore the garden area together with the upper
loggia, recreating the privileged point of view, in other words
from the three triclinari rooms. This would mean rebuilding
parts of the upper loggia, its floor and the back wall, as well
as reconstructing the edges which close off the space to the
south towards the Casa del Naviglio, and to the east on Vico
del Fauno. These works would link to reconstructing the surface,
which connects the triclinari rooms to the loggia and
the tablinus, and to the vaulting of the crypto-portico to the
east and the west.
Conclusions
Floors and roofs should be reconstructed where possible,
not just in order to conserve the structures and avoid situations
of future deterioration, but oriented towards understanding
the architecture. This would lead to the recovery of
an area that had become illegible in the confusion of urban
development. This kind of reconstruction would also make it
easier to understand the original relationship that the dwellings
had with the outside world.
In order to consider Pompeii as a town and not just as an
open-air museum, we need to create places where visitors
can pause to collect their thoughts and absorb their impressions.
In fact, one of the inspirations for this paper is the idea
of providing stopping places along visitor routes. Among the
dwellings in Pompeii, the Casa dell’Ancora still has many of
its original features and seems well suited to combining an
archaeological visit with a place to stop, rest and reflect. Of
course, the garden should be planted with herbs to provide
an idea of how a typical Pompeii garden might have looked.
Several experiments of this type have already been carried
out in Pompeii.
Our aim is to come up with new ways of visiting extensive
urban sites like Pompeii. However, it is obvious that using
archaeological sites cannot be bound by hard and fast rules
suitable for all occasions. It is more reasonable to suppose
that each case will be decided on its merits, adjusting the
rules where necessary.
There is a clear need to diversify, to offer different kinds
experiences to visitors. Not all visitors are part of large
groups. Some people come to Pompeii on their own, some
to study, some are in small groups of four to six. These people
could be offered different routes, with more relaxed timing
and with places to linger and a chance to understand this
ancient town better.