Sites of Memory as Museums : the case of Auberge d'Italie in Valletta (original) (raw)
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Capitalising on Culture? Malta and the European Capital of Culture. Mediterranean Studies Series, 2017
The paper discusses the role of libraries, archives and of related written memory institutions in Malta's capital city, Valletta. The concept of national ownership has now been considerably diluted into one of custody and dissemination. This carries ethical implications relating to best practices where conservation and dissemination are concerned, ensuring as wide an access as possible on both national and international levels (Preer 2008). Online searchable catalogues and the digital uploading of texts constitute the concrete application of technology in this respect and further rapid developments are expected. While physically located and cared for in a specific geographical area, written memory recognised as universal cultural heritage, should be, by right, made accessible to all of humanity. 2 Access to written heritage varies in degree and intensity from one cultural reality to another. Emphasis upon available resources to integrate such written heritage within the country's formal education setups is a fundamental future investment. A national well-structured cultural policy, sustaining cultural awareness can hardly be achieved without access to, and familiarity with, one's written cultural heritage. This is particularly crucial when – as in the case of Maltese written memory collections – such heritage more often than not has significance far beyond the island's own shores.
Heritage
Historic urban conservation has, for more than a century, been a major focus of planning, architectural debate and public policy. Today, there is a growing consensus that the historic city should be viewed not only as a unity of architectural monuments and supporting fabric, but also as a complex layering of meanings, connected both to its natural environment and to its geological structure, as well as to its metropolitan hinterland. The current paper will attempt to analyze the principles of modern urban conservation and to evaluate the effectiveness of their application in Mediterranean historic centers. It is structured in two parts. In the first part it examines the changes that diachronically took place in planning for historic urban conservation. It will analyze the principles that were followed until today and the existing strategies, policies and practices of historic urban conservation. The second part will examine the application of these policies in the historic city of V...
Preserving Turin's Vallette Estate: A Public History Experience
This paper focuses on our activities in a council estate in Turin: Vallette. The estate, which was inaugurated in 1961, thanks to the Ina Casa Plan, the most important housing program in Post-war Italy1. Firstly, we need to clarify that, despite several social difficulties and some deterioration of the buildings’ materials, the general condition is still acceptable and the idea of demolition is, currently, off the table. In fact, except for a few cases2, large-scale demolitions are not very common in Italy. In addition, Italian legislation is characterised by a strong preservationist approach. Amongst various local and national laws, the ‘Codice dei Beni Culturali’, approved in 20043, which established that any transformation or demolition of a building whose architect is deceased and which is older than 50 years requires a special authorisation of the Department of Culture, which needs to evaluate its cultural value.
“Selective memory”: A Museum and Its Past
Actual Problems of Theory and History of Art, XII, 2022
“Selective memory” of the past, borrowing the definition from cognitive psychology and neuro- science, represents a phenomenon closely tied to the history of classical archaeology and the antiquarian, specif- ically within Italian museum studies, as a cultural-ideological result of 19th and 20th century historical events. A research recently undertaken into the current situation of museums pertaining to a subregional district of south- ern Latium, the region of central western Italy of which Rome is the county seat, constituted an opportunity for comparison based on the analysis of some indicators, both aesthetical and technical: museological and museo- graphical approaches, management issues, exhibition design, and communication strategies. A common thread is a perpetuation of bygone ideological and propaganda symbols as nostalgia for the past and the reactivation of historical, political, and anthropological phenomena. As a case study the Archaeological Civic Museum of Terracina, a city 100 kilometers south of Rome, has been chosen, in consideration of its long history and the possibility to assist to the evolution of the fittings and locations from 1894, the year of foundation, until today, by dint of photos, inventories, and period letters. The central theme of criterion for selecting the archaeological material to be exhibited has been, since the beginning, the past that we choose to tell. This “selective memory” is identifiable in the different treatment reserved to single objects: some have been collected and preserved, some have been scattered, some have been perceived as unrepresentative, and thus deemed unworthy of display or narration, and stored in depots. The museum has consequently selected only certain aspects of the past of its community, which is almost entirely related to its Late Roman Republican and Imperial period, an attitude which in the literature is frequently referred to as “Romanolatry”. The cult of the “white archaeology” removes from consideration the material culture of everyday life, of prehistoric, protohistoric, late antique, medieval, and Renaissance phases, even when well documented. Is the museum a place of oblivion or a place of memory? Keywords: classical archaeology, museum studies, antiquarian, nostalgia, propaganda, memory
Museums and Nationhood: The Case of Italy (2011)
Emmanuel Pénicaut et Gennaro Toscano (ed.), Lieux de mémoire, musées d’histoire, La Documentation française, Paris 2012., 2012
English version of The text « Musées et nation. Le cas italien » presented in the International Conference «Lieux de mémoire, musée(s) d’histoire(s) » organised by « Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine » and « Institut National du patrimoine » (Paris -19 June 2009) and published in Emmanuel Pénicaut et Gennaro Toscano (ed.), Lieux de mémoire, musées d’histoire, La Documentation française, Paris 2012. Translated by Simon Turner for International Meeting « History, memory and dialogue in South East Europe: exploring the identity of nations” Torino, Italy 5-6 October 2011.
A reflection is proposed about designing urban remains: places that have ceased to perform their original function and that now find themselves without citizenship, in a sort of grey area. Too little attractive to be taken into account by real estate operators, unlike the big industrial zones. Too recent, and still recognizable, to assume the noble and romantic rank of "ruin". Not so special to deserve restoration and the Superintendence interest. Even not so damaged to be considered waste. However, they can represent a strategic resource for the territory, not just being available to perform new functions, but also holding memories and human stories that would otherwise be lost.
Castelvecchio Calvisio may be considered a perfect case study in the decay of rural towns for several reasons. 1 It is representative of a situation that is common in large inland areas, mainly in a mountainous context; these kinds of sites are especially affected by the problems of depopulation and the dereliction of ancient buildings. The historical fabric of the town bears a clearly defined identity and reveals -better than in other cases -the character of the town as a homogeneous organism. The strong level of authenticity of its historical town buildings is ultimately at risk of being erased by the urgent need for structural repair, and by an unfocused desire to repurpose the small town.
2020
The focus of this study is about one of the magnificent palaces built in lower Valletta, precisely along the stretch of lower Republic Street; an area monumentalized by several munificent Baroque palaces. This work is a collaborative initiative with the Department of Conservation and Built Heritage (University of Malta) as part of student training programmes and a project for the conservation of the chapel at Palazzo de La Salle, stressing the potential of seeking wide-ranging expertise and interdisciplinary approaches in our works. By this paper on the original construction of Palazzo de la Salle in late 16th century Valletta, we not merely set the project into historical context, but also explore specific methodologies for the study of archival sources in urban history and archaeology of buildings. Copies of the journal are purchased from the Friends of the National Archives of Malta.