The Risk Map of Italian Cultural Heritage

Abstract

The Risk Map of Italian Cultural Heritage is a current research project of the Istituto Centrale del Restauro (ICR), with the aim of developing a more rational and economical means of undertaking the maintenance, conservation, and restoration of the architectural and archaeological monuments of Italy.The first step of the project has been to create a geographical information system (GIS), which collects, processes, and manages both cartographic and alphanumerical data coming from peripheral units based in many Italian towns by the ‘Soprintendenze’, being the territorial departments of the Ministry of Culture. The connection between environmental danger and risk to the monuments is highlighted through a mapping process, by overlapping computerized maps having a thematic content (such as air pollution, climate, and earthquakes) and the distribution of cultural assets. The second step has ensured that the above data were homogeneous through defining standardized schedules at different levels of detail. These schedules contain information both on the environment of the territory and the conservation status of the monuments.Future development, according to the methodological approach adopted by the Risk Map project, foresees the census area as a smaller territorial unit. Moreover, it is the opinion of the authors that an improvement in documentation and recording of all formal and constituent elements of the monuments is essential in order to obtain a true reconstruction (either real or virtual) of damaged cultural property.