A Dialogue with the Past: Preservation Techniques of Historic Villas in Italy

"This approach intentionally avoids an imitative style, instead using contemporary materials like steel, glass, and new wood to frame and highlight the existing historic stone and brickwork. This juxtaposition turns the original materials from simple structural elements into featured decorative and narrative ones. The result is a layered experience where the history of the space remains visible, ensuring it is preserved rather than erased by the renovation."

"This blending of past and present is rooted in a critical-conservative philosophy, championed by figures like Giovanni Carbonara. This school of thought argues that restoration must respect both the aesthetic and historical integrity of a building. This means that any new intervention must be clearly distinguishable, reversible, and should not create a historical "falsification." The deliberate layering, like exposed stone and contemporary steel or glass, is a direct application of this philosophy,"

Italian renovation practices preserve historic stone and brick by juxtaposing them with contemporary materials such as steel, glass, and new wood, which frame and highlight original fabric. Architects favor dialogue between old and new rather than imitation or complete transformation. The juxtaposition elevates original materials into decorative and narrative elements, creating layered spatial experiences that keep history visible. The approach aligns with a critical-conservative restoration philosophy associated with Giovanni Carbonara, which requires interventions to be distinguishable, reversible, and to avoid creating historical falsifications, thereby maintaining both aesthetic and historical integrity.

Read at ArchDaily