The Loggiato dei Cappuccini in Comacchio (Italy): assessment of degradation and state of conservation.

Cultural heritage is an irreplaceable component of a country's socio-cultural and economic capital, valuable for community cohesion and for the creation and enhancement of social capital, economic impact and environmental sustainability [1-4]. Unfortunately, the vulnerability of cultural heritage has increased over time and its exposure to a series of slow and sudden natural and man-made hazards threatens its existence.

Comacchio is a small municipality in the province of Ferrara (Emilia-Romagna region in north-eastern Italy), in the southern part of the present-day Po River estuary. It is an early medieval settlement, mainly known for the presence of several Etruscan settlements in its territory [5]. Comacchio is the result of continuous variations in sea level and the Po River, the extent of subsidence phenomena, and finally human activity over the last five thousand years.

The Loggiato dei Cappuccini has always been a symbol of the town of Comacchio for its simple and pleasant aesthetic characteristics, for the shelter it can offer from the weather and the summer sun, for its secluded position with respect to the town centre and for its connection with the sanctuary of the Virgin Mary in Aula Regia, which has always been venerated here [6,7].

This study aims to enhance the Capuchin Loggia through an analysis of the monument's state of conservation. The research started with a historical analysis of the maintenance and restoration work that the monument has undergone over time. Subsequently, macroscopic observation and bibliographic research also analyzed the current degradation morphologies and their causes. The proposed analysis campaign may be used by the Municipality of Comacchio to plan future rehabilitation and restoration works aimed at the conservation of the historical-cultural heritage.

References

• Cultural Heritage Counts for Europe. Full Report of the EU Project “Cultural Heritage Counts for Europe: towards a Eu-ropean Index for Cultural Heritage”, 2015. https://www.europanostra.org/our-work/policy/cultural-heritage-count s-europe/
• Culture 2030 Indicators: Thematic Indicators for Culture in the 2030 Agenda. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2019. http://uis.unesco.org/sites/default/files/documents/publication_culture_202 0_indicators_en.pdf
• Transforming our world: the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. Resolution A/RES/70/1, United Nations General Assembly, United Nations, 2015. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld/publication
• Romão, X.; Bertolin, C. Risk protection for cultural heritage and historic centres: Current knowledge and further research needs. Int J Disaster Risk Reduc, 2022, 67, 102652,
• Gelichi, S. L’Isola del Vescovo, Firenze, Edizioni all’insegna del Giglio s.a.s., 2009.
• Alberti, A. Segnali di una ritrovata cultura della manutenzione urbana e architettonica a Comacchio, FE. Quaderni di soprintendenza : Qds, 2001, 5.
• Zamboni, A. La fabbrica dei pesci dietro il loggiato dei Cappuccini e la sede amministrativa delle Valli Comunali di Comacchio. In: Anecdota, Quaderni della Biblioteca L.A. Muratori Comacchio, Ferrara, Gabriele Corbo Editore, 2001, 1/2, 1.