Cultura materiale e presidi costruttivi nel cantiere medievale. Nuovi dati dal Castello di Cervinara / Material culture and prevention damage expedients in the medieval construction yard. New data from the Castle of Cervinara

The research about Cervinara’s Castle (Avellino) considers the building’s construction history as a basic component and starting point for the restoration design. This Norman architecture – probably built on an earlier Longobards one – has to be seen in relation to the overall Caudinian medieval defensive system: in fact, it was subjected to various dominations which left indelible traces on its current configuration. These signs, highlighted by the stratigraphic analysis, clearly recognizable onto the masonries as well as into the joints or in the holes existing on the surfaces, represent a complex proof of the old building yard. The presence of through-holes on the facades that are similar, in their features and dimensions, to the peculiar voids characterizing the so-called opus gallicum technique – mentioned in the De Bello Gallico by Julius Caesar and recorded in the Holy Land and in some Norman fortresses of the Central Italy – has proven to be particularly interesting. In the light of these considerations, the essay outlines a historical-constructive interpretation of the castle, focusing on the building expedients of the medieval site, which are significant for the history of material culture of central-southern Italy.