Un sistema informativo per la conoscenza del patrimonio architettonico del centro storico di Chiavari (GE)

In the conservation project, knowledge is one of the prerequisites for a successful outcome. Moreover, the dissemination of this knowledge plays a key role in the valorisation process. The historical centre of Chiavari (GE), characterised by the presence of porticoes protected by the Cultural Heritage Code, has suffered an impoverishment of its architectural surfaces with a progressive loss of the identity of the places due to improper interventions. In 2019, the local superintendence promoted an agreement between the Municipality and the Department Architecture and Design of the University of Genoa for the realisation of a study on the system of porticoes of Chiavari and their associated façades. The research aimed to provide a wide knowledge of this heritage, by systemising bibliographic and iconographic sources, archive documents, as well as the material aspect of the historical building, investigated through surveying, analysis of construction techniques and attendance at the restoration sites active there. This knowledge is intended, on the one hand, to support the Municipality in drafting guidelines for the proper conservation and management of porticoes and façades and, on the other hand, to provide professionals with a solid starting point for designing interventions on them. The data acquired during the research have been organised in a database with a graphic interface: this has made it possible to create thematic maps and to carry out urban-scale analyses but it also allows the research results to be shared through their publication in the geoportal of the Municipality of Chiavari. This step is a fundamental action for the enhancement and preservation of the historic centre: it constitutes an opportunity not only to disseminate knowledge, making the population aware of the richness of the architectural context in which they live but also to enable active use of the research products by the professionals working there.