Un caso particolare di restauro monumentale: la pavimentazione del corso di Reggio Calabria

A particular case of monumental restoration: the paving of the Corso of Reggio Calabria

Redeveloping a historical road means tackling a restoration project, observing the principles of the discipline, starting with respect for authenticity. With this logic, the Soprintendenza redirected (2014-18) the works on the Corso of Reggio Calabria, carry out in the reconstruction of the city after the 1783 earthquake, and repaved after the 1908 earthquake with lava stone slabs from Etna, reusing on the sidewalks the stone “reggina” which previously covered the roadway. In the 1980s the road was asphalted. The municipal project envisaged covering the carriageway with a new thin paving on a concrete screed. During the works, it was verified that part of the old paving was present, so the Soprintendenza requested its rework and integration. The importance of the Reggio paving lies not only in its authenticity but also in its contemporaneity with the buildings on the street. The slabs damaged on the surface have been thinned and repositioned.
All slabs have been worked “a puntillo” on the surface, like the original. The Soprintendenza then published a manual for future work in the old town.