Rielaborazioni in stile e "coraggiosi restauri" tra Ottocento e Novecento. Indagine storica e studi diagnostici per il restauro del complesso monumentale della SS. Annunziata di Firenze

In the period identified from the second half of the 19th century to the second half of the 20th century, a tendency to reconsider monuments with the evocative values of their origins, altering their figurative, material and structural characteristics can be found in some restorations. The interest of this research is to offer a documentary study of the restoration experiences carried out between 1850 and 1970 in the case study of the historic complex of the SS. Annunziata in Florence. Two study areas were identified for the historical complex, divided into two distinct research itineraries: the monumental entrance to the complex with the Oratory of S. Sebastiano and the Greater cloister (Chiostro Grande) of the convent. The study was conducted by proceeding from the historical investigation, conducted on the published literature for events from the 13th to the 18th century, and through archive research for the chronological interval from 1750 to 1970. Some of the conservation problems encountered on the monument were investigated using non-invasive diagnostic tools, which allowed the qualities of the structures and materials of the architecture to be examined in depth. In order to better understand the working methods of 19th and 20th century restorers, the first part of the research examined some interventions by two leading figures in Florentine monumental restoration, Luigi del Moro (1845-1897) and Guido Morozzi (1909-2003), who were also the authors of some of the interventions carried out at the SS. Annunziata. The research has clarified some fundamental passages in the construction history of the complex, highlighting new characterisations of the contemporary monument whose forms are also the result of nineteenth- and twentieth-century visions. Furthermore, the thesis aims to highlight the critical issues related to the operational methods of restoration and the prospects of an integrated and multidisciplinary approach that is now considered indispensable for architectural restoration.