Water, Stones and Bronzes, the Monumental Fountains. Management and conservation
Rome, as well known, since from Antiquity has been the city of Fountains and Aqueducts, quite often of an extraordinary artistic value. Today the city boasts 6 aqueducts and 470 monumental artistic fountains.
The fountains represent important landmarks of the city and contribute in characterizing it and its outskirts; they attract and are a socializing element so much so that they continue to be designed even in new plans.
As fountains need water this creates many conservation problems, much more than any other open air monument .
Recently the conservation of fountains has turned into a more problematic matter, due to the need to contain consumptions and to the great difficulty in finding the necessary economic resources for their management and maintenance, but also for the frequently indiscriminate use done by the increasing number of users.
La “Sovraintendenza ai Beni Culturali “ of Rome, institutionally elected to the safeguard and conservation of the historical – monumental evidences of the municipality , amongst whom are the fountains, has developed, with the collaboration of the Central Institute for the Restoration, a methodology for their conservation.
Many factors allows to conserve and valorise these important monuments with techniques and products able to give back them, as much as possible, their original configuration and functionalities: scientific surveys and laboratory analysis on the materials – often spoiled from ancient monuments – that constitutes the fountains, on the characteristics of the water, of the plants and of pollution; the documentary and iconographic researches on the history of the fountains, on the aqueducts that feed them and on the city environment, that contribute in characterizing and that influences their maintenance in the course of time.
International meeting
The meeting will give the opportunity to discuss topics related to the safeguard, conservation and valorisation of the Cultural Heritage constituted by the fountains. It will be a moment of synthesis of the acquired knowledge and the various maturated experiences, favouring integration between the professional abilities and competences that concur to the management and maintenance of the fountains.
The partecipants
Officials, Technicians, Restorers, Researchers.
The aim
- see what the situation is regarding the management, maintenance, research and restorations
- link experiences and projects
- contribute to the promotion of guide lines for a communal protocollo on management, conservation and valorisation (“the Fountains Chart”)
Main tracks and topics of the meeting:
The water
• Characteristics, supplying, management
• Consumptions and energy saving
• Plants
The Monumental Fountains and the cities
• Environment
• Competences, regulations, organization
Conservation, monitoring, maintenance
• Materials
• Problems and solution
Defending of the Cultural Heritage
• Regulations and provisions
• Urban decorum and vigilance
• Communication
• Public financing and sponsorships
