ARIOSTO UNIVERSE IN CASTELNUOVO / Definitive and Executive Design Service, Site Management, Safety Coordination, Interior Design and Fire Prevention "in the context of the restoration of the Rocca for the creation of a museum complex on Ludovico Ariosto and the Garfagnana del 500. ( Competition - Winning project, work in progress).

TEAM:

Professor Engineer Architect Marco Dezzi Bardeschi, Group Leader.

Dott. Architetto Roberto Bruni, Dott. Architetto Giacomo Dolfi, adjuvants to the architectural project and museum layout and assistance to the Supervision of the works.

Associated Studio of Architecture Gherardi and Lenzi, adjuvants to the project, safety during execution, Supervision of works.

Architect Bernadette Cerruto, Professional Givane, adjuvant to the restoration project.

Dott. Engineer Giovanni Becattini, Structures and seismic verification.

Dott. Engineer Paolo Mannelli, Plants, Security and Fire Brigade.

THE CASTLE

THE RESTORATION AS A PROJECT (OF CONSERVATION AND COMPATIBLE REUSE)

Our contribution starts from the belief that today a correct intervention on the existing architectural heritage must be conducted (and evaluated) on the basis of the actual quantity of material culture subtracted (as little as possible) and at the same time simultaneously added to the factory in a compatible and sustainable way (and with calculated dialogical quality). In other words, we believe that the restoration should represent the moment of synthesis between two distinct operations related to each other:

- Respect and care on site of the material consistency that has come down to us which characterizes the authenticity of the work in a unique and singular way, ensuring maximum confirmation of its permanence as a summation of all the cultural and material contributions that the factory has received over time (and this is precisely the conservation project of the existing structures and materials in place;

- The contribution of new material to the context (having the same singularity, uniqueness and authenticity) as a motivated addition of needs linked to the use with the least possible consumption (systems, stairs and elevators, services and technical equipment, etc.) as expression and witness of the production methods of our time (and this is the new compatible project).

In summary, we have taken on the commitment of:

1) maximize the permanence and transmission to the near future of the co-presence of the Rocca and its consolidated historical values;
2) semantically and iconologically re-signify the new presences, the festive Ariostesque narrative imagery.

In our case, the conservation project is aimed, as regards the first objective, to complete and integrate the intervention already carried out after the first batch of securing the roofs and, as regards the second, to restore full social life and daily representation to the Rocca, repopulating it with the additional added creative value linked to the fruitful and enthralling Ariosto imagery.

THE REUSE AND ARCHITECTURAL PROJECT

The courtyard of the Rocca can now be accessed from the Ariosto square inside the historic center. The entrance courtyard is characterized by the presence of a central column that divides it and is currently covered only on three spans, while the fourth is open air. To improve the functionality of this important reception space, the project provides for its coverage in order to transform the space into an atrium no longer subject to the occasional unpredictability of bad weather. In order not to alter the effect of natural light during the day, this roof structure will be made of extra-light iron-glass elements: in practice an elegant work of art through which natural light will slip indirectly from above, lapping and making highlight the wall face of the tower. Inside, the image of Astolfo on the Hippogryph will float in the air.

Since the current entrance to the Rocca from the square through the beautiful late Baroque portal has three steps, difficult for the disabled, the project foresees the opening of a new completely independent entrance on the square on the left end of the main front, exactly inside the deep right shoulder of the arch that overlooks, with an unexpected panoramic balcony, the underlying square-meeting place overlooking the river.

From the courtyard / atrium you enter on the left to the internal museum path, through a portal reopened on the wall in front of the existing staircase. In the other pre-existing door there is an information desk, ticket office and visitor control.

The upper floors of the Rocca are accessed through a new lift and relative safety staircase that have been created in the right corner of the courtyard. The visitor is also invited to access the high top of the central tower in which a second lift is inserted which allows you to reach the existing panoramic terrace at the top which is flanked by a new internal security staircase.

One of the qualifying points of the project is the realization of a greater porosity of the Rocca which is intended to transform from a fortified monument, exclusive of power (political, administrative and judicial) into a joyful collective citadel open to the suggestions of the fantastic Ariostesque imaginary. This goal is achieved by multiplying the openings and connections on the ground floor with the city. So in addition to the already described new independent entrance on the ground floor for the disabled, the project proposes the opening of a new door in the main street of the historic center (Via Fulvio Testi) and the simultaneous use by the municipality of the shop left free from the current tenant on the square in front.

ASTOLFO'S FANTAFIABA ON HIPPOGRIFO, THE LEADING ELEMENT OF THE (INCREASED) GEOGRAPHY OF THE "FURIOUS"

Saw a pass
great winged steed that carries in the air
an armed knight
(Ariosto, IV, 4)

Let's take as a reference element of the magical world solicited by the Ariostesque imagery that of Astolfo on the hippogriff who travels his magic itinerary far and wide ex high and wide. As an introduction to this itinerary, which has the power to confuse and multiply reality, we dedicate a large introductory picture mounted on the Ptolemaic geography of Nicolaus Germanus known to Ariosto (edition of 1482).

The wandering knights go for that (Scotland)
including arms, from all over Brittany,
and from the next places and from far away,
of France, Norway and Lamagna,
whoever has no great valor does not go in front;
that where honor seeks, death gains.
Great things Tristan already did in it,
Lanciloto, Galasso, Artù and Galvano,
and other horsemen and the new
and the famous old round table.

THE TALKING ROCCA (PRO-MEMORIA)

Orlando Furioso is a poem that refuses to either begin or end
(Italo Calvino)

We still recall the architectural concept presented by our group in the competition (2017) to confirm the goal of the project: to connect the magic of the Rocca and the places of the Garfagnana with the fantastic ones of childhood memory. The castle as an ideal spin-off of tradition and as an incubator of identity, cultural growth and local entrepreneurship.
With the conservation project, we set out to respect and enhance the important chapter of the Neo-Holistic reconstruction work on the Rocca after the war destruction waged by the superintendent of Pisa (Piero Sanpaolesi), as a tribute to one of the great masters of the new culture of conservation.
And, with the architectural project, to enhance in turn the Ariosto's imagination by projecting this rediscovered new functional and representative role of museum pole from the Rocca to its exterior, to involve and reactivate a necessary greater knowledge of the system of fortified settlements of the surrounding territory of the Garfagnana of which the Rocca will be the reference hub.

As for the Ariostesque THEMES to which we would like to dedicate, once the restoration has been carried out, appropriate documentary deepening in the various ROOMS of the Rocca, we indicate which we have identified as we believe to be the most effective and driving ones in terms of narrative content:

1) Know and value the material history of the Rocca and its past, before and after (in the name of) Ariosto, as a document / monument.

2) The chronological framework of Ariosto's life and work in his environment of formation and institutional and creative commitment (his travels, real and imaginary).

3) The sources, or the intersection of the two epic popular cycles (Carolingian and Breton), the development of the "Furious": Ariosto starts from the island of Alcina where the boyfriend interrupted the boy. According to the happy phrase of Calvino Angelica comes out galloping from a wood to enter the new.

4) The court theater and the labyrinth of life with Ariosto actor, set designer and author (Lena; the Necromancer; the Students).

5) The magical objects and elements: the ring, the shield, the horn, the enchanted castle of the wizard Atlas; the island of Alcina and the room of the alchemist apprentice (the work in black).

6) The Imagery of the "Furioso": critical fortune and popular diffusion: from the first illustrations and Sicilian puppets to cinema and Comics.

7) The Health Workshop and the alchemical transmutation of the elements: herbs (in connection with the annual "Wild" event) foods, poisons, the armor of the sky and the horoscope.

8) The question of language (from the Po to the Tuscan), the writing technique (the structure of the octaves), the autographs (now in the Galleria degli Estensi in Modena), the inventories of the libraries.

9) The infinite poem: the dialoguing creative contribution of the intervention of contemporary artists.

When transferring the text of Ariosto (the written word, the poem, the satire or the letter) into the image the
the role of the reader - provoked - immediately passes from recipient to receptor, from object to active protagonist of the message. The act of reading ignites the invention of the image, as Lina Bolzoni well knows (The creative reader, Guide, Naples 2012). The written word solicits memory and becomes a creative image, always ready to be renewed in the imagination of every generation of interpreters. Thus the reader, as the second author, contributes to multiplying the effect of the text in a participatory and creative way. It is precisely on this reflection that our Museum Center is born in constant direct dialogue with the growing fortune of Ariosto.

THE MUSEUM 2.0

THE CONCEPT:
In addition to taking into account the suggestions of the place, the works of Ariosto, and his contemporaries, as well as the desirable interactions with the world of comics, the setting tends to be user-friendly thanks to the conscious use of digital technology that , by its nature, it is flexible and adaptable to the various needs that may arise from time to time.

THE USE OF TECHNOLOGIES:

The totem is a multifunctional system, a tactile technological machine that houses a series of functions in a single element

- Contains the systems and safety devices (emergency lights, buttons) and can manage
lighting;
- ensures phonic communication interactivity for the organization and management of the flow of visiting groups guided from one environment to another and communication with the concierge
- the output of multimedia content, including interactive, related to the current exhibitions (Exhibition
permanent on Ariosto, Lucca Comics, temporary exhibitions and private events),
the direct visual interrelation between events, even very distant from each other in contemporary development;
- can be used as a guide for the blind.
- The totems can be of the "stand alone" type or be placed in the technical walls.

The hologram represents the most scenic and engaging aspect of the entire exhibition. A series of projected images and videos, in the area in front of the lift tower, will give visitors the impression of being in another era. Sounds and voices will amplify these sensations. Once the "holographic theater" has been created, it will be sufficient to upload new multimedia contents in addition to the pre-loaded one, in line with the scheduled exhibitions and events. This will allow you to change an important part of the set design / setting, at the cost of multimedia content only. The same applies to wall projections and the information materials necessary for individual events.

The projections on walls (some made with the videomapping technique), the screens installed in installations that remember the times of Ariosto and some interactive screens will help make the museum flexible, dynamic in its use and capable of involving the public, making it sometimes become protagonist.

Augmented reality will allow visitors to obtain additional information on the contents displayed.

Augmented reality will allow visitors to obtain additional information on the contents displayed.

The diffusers of essences, placed in some rooms and synchronized with projectors and holographic machines, will help to involve visitors to make them feel an integral part of the show.
THE INSTALLATION

The plasterboard technical walls, easily inspectable, allow the passage of the systems, allow to house lighting systems, speakers, videos, inside them
projectors and totems. Their use allows to integrate the museum installations with the rooms of the fortress with the result of obtaining environments in which the new dialogues, in harmony, with the pre-existing structures. This approach, based on the utmost respect for the building, makes the use of the museum rooms flexible and allows you to easily adapt them to various needs. Even the maintenance and updating of the plants benefit from this choice.

Ground floor

Room 1) The fortress has 2 different entrances. The one for the disabled is connected, through the bookshop / ticket office, to the main entrance. This is characterized by the presence of a suspended walkway, which resembles a boat, and by a hologram, projected in mid-air, capable of involving and exciting visitors. Diffusers of essences, synchronized with holographic images, will give an even greater realism to the scene.

Room 2) the ticket office is located in a central position between the main entrance and the one for the disabled and also acts as a cash desk for the bookshop. The main location will be
consisting of a cortern steel base while the upper part will be in shatterproof glass.

Room 3) Exhibition hall / temporary exhibitions

Main stairwell) the staircase leading to the first floor marks the beginning of the actual museum itinerary, videos (relating to the current event) will be projected on the vault above, which will transform the ceiling into a window onto other worlds.

Rooms 5a / 5b) The room that houses the staircase leading to both the emergency exit and the exhibition hall (the author of the valuable paintings donated by the same Artist to the Municipality of Castelnuovo di Garfagnana) will not be treated as a secondary room but, rather, as an exhibition space.

Room 6) The temporary vertical gallery is an exhibition space that develops in height. The works (paintings, small sculptures, panels on which images will be projected) will be hung on steel cables, hooked to special supports, and will be visible both from the ground floor and (above all) from the upper floors. The visual experience will change from floor to floor.

Room 8) Exhibition room

First floor

Room 12a) Hallway with a continuous image (placed on the walls) dedicated to Ariosto and his travels / overlooking the vertical gallery.

Room 13) The multimedia room will offer interactive films and videos dedicated to Lucca Comics (but also to other events).

Room 15) The room will be dedicated to the memory of Pierluca Rossi and it will be possible to see photos and videos of the photojournalist who died prematurely.

Rooms 19a / 19b) Exhibition rooms

Double volume above the compartment1) Connecting walkway between rooms 17a and 19a with floor screens / images projected on the floor.

Second floor

Room 23a) Hallway with access to the bathroom for the disabled and to the observation point of the vertical gallery.

Room 23b) Exhibition room

Room 24) The room (usually dedicated to Ariosto and his world) can be used, together with the virtual observation tower Room 25) (equipped with 4 screens oriented towards the other Este fortresses), to host plays and theatrical performances.

Room 29) Ludovico Ariosto's study.

Room 31) The room dedicated to events and exhibitions will be an immersive room "with projections on the walls

Room 32) Ludovico Ariosto's room.

Room 33) Exhibition room.

Tower

The panoramic lift, on the way from the ground floor to the top, will allow users to "experience" the history of Ariosto thanks to the glass walls through which it will be possible to watch video projections on the life of the great writer. The route, divided into 6 stages (three in the ascent phase towards the tower and as many during the descent to the ground) will illustrate the salient episodes of which Ariosto was the protagonist. Through a series of clips where actors in period costumes will recite the verses of Ariosto and will interpret some scenes of his life. The images will be visible on large screens suitably positioned on the vertical walls or projected with the videomapping technique and will be supplemented by writings, which appear to float in midair, which will give visitors additional information (augmented reality). . RGB led spotlights will contribute to the scenography
Diffusers of essences, synchronized with the images, will release perfumes that will involve the viewer even more during his "journey" back in time.

The top floor of the tower, accessible only via the panoramic lift, will allow you to observe the 360 ° panorama. A fully glazed "door to heaven", oriented towards the Verrucole Fortress, will allow tourists to look out onto the void and observe the panorama. On the opposite side, a sculpture facing Mont’Alfonso will be placed on a projecting platform.