Methodological procedures to enhance Cosenza Castle, Italy

Abstract

The strategic position of Cosenza Castle in Calabria, a region in the south of Italy, as well as its decent state of conservation and some restauration work, allowed reorganizing the spaces to ensure better fruition. Moreover, better accessibility favoured the development of tourist flows attracted by history and by the panoramic views of the surrounding area. In order to provide further attractive factors able to raise the interest in the castle, the study aimed to support its enhancement. To that purpose, a suitable methodological procedure was defined to acquire new knowledge, in particular about the structures and the constituent materials of the masonries still in a state of degradation. Specifically, during investigations and surveys conducted to evaluate the potentials of the whole complex, various areas of interest were detected. In particular, a significant clearly stratified area could be easily noticed due to its evident degradation. Therefore, the study focused on this area to obtain information concerning the process of stratification of the materials that had occurred over time, and to provide new knowledge inputs to use as a starting point for further research.