CONSERVATION REPORT. for the. FOUNTAIN IN THE GARDEN between VIALE TIZIANO and VIA FLAMINIA

Transcription

1 CONSERVATION REPORT for the FOUNTAIN IN THE GARDEN between VIALE TIZIANO and VIA FLAMINIA 1

2 Historical background The fountain is located in the garden between viale Tiziano and via Flaminia, in the neighborhood Flaminio, a central area of Rome, just outside Porta del Popolo. This area has a strong and constantly growing cultural attitude, since it houses some of the most significant cultural institutions of the city, such as the recently built Auditorium designed by Renzo Piano, the new Museum of Contemporary Art (Maxxi), designed by Zaha Hadid, while a further great cultural project called Città della Scienza (Science district) is about to be started in the area between the fountain and the Maxxi. MAXXI MUSEUM AUDITORIUM CITTA DELLA SCIENZA fountain GALLERIA NAZIONALE D ARTE MODERNA VILLA BORGHESE PIAZZA DEL POPOLO The garden where the fountain is placed, is characterized by the presence of tall trees typical of central Italy and very popular in Rome such as maritime pines and holm oaks (lecci). It is equipped with a playground and a bar, and is very much used by the people living in this area. Both the fountain and the garden were planned in 1930s within the project of expansion of the city of Rome outside the border of the ancient Roman walls, along the ancient road Via Flaminia. The fountain is inspired by a couple of older fountains, the so called Fontane Oscure, placed in one of the most beautiful public parks in Rome, Villa Borghese. They were built around 1620 after designs by the architect Giovanni Vasanzio. The Fontane Oscure are some of the earliest fountains built in Villa Borghese, since they date back to the founder of this park and also of the celebrated Borghese collection, the cardinal Scipione Borghese. These two fountains are similar but still different to each other, since one is nearly circular, while the other is oval. 2

3 Fontana Oscura (rounded), Villa Borghese Fontana Oscura (oval), Villa Borghese It is the latter that inspired the architect very likely the renowned garden expert Raffaele De Vico who planned the gardens in viale Tiziano. The main difference between the baroque fountain and its modern replica resides, besides some slight difference in terms of dimensions, in the materials that were used: while the fountains in Villa Borghese are made in stone (white marble, travertine and peperino), the fountain in viale Tiziano is entirely made in concrete conglomerate, supported by an iron frame. The fountain is made of a large oval basin (long side measuring approximately 10 meters; short side 8 meters) ornamented in the center by two smaller basins supported by a stem (central vertical element). Of the two smaller basins, the lower one is rounded, while the one at the top is oval in shape. The water spurts from this top element, pours down gently into the intermediate tub, and finally falls into the large oval basin at the base. At an approximately 5 meters distance, the fountain is surrounded by a long, arched seat, that repeats the oval shape of the main basin. The seat too is designed faithfully after the model in Villa Borghese. 3

4 Current Condition In the night between past March 6 th and 7 th 2015, during a storm, a pine tree (trunk s diameter approximately 60 cm.), located in one of the flowerbeds surrounding the fountain, was rooted out by the wind and fell to the ground, slamming the fountain and the surrounding seat. This violent crash completely demolished the intermediate basin of the fountain, seriously damaged the stem and caused further damage to the large basin and to part of the seats. More in detail, the central part of the fountain was almost completely destroyed by the crash: the oval intermediate basin was broken into many pieces, of different size, that are now sadly hanging from the stem, connected to it by the iron rods that used to be the frame that supported the concrete inside. The stem itself is severely damaged: the iron frame placed inside the stem, that works as the structural support of the piece (in itself already in condition of oxidation), was deformed, both in a longitudinal and transversal direction, by the impact with the branches of the pine tree. Such deformations have compromised the verticality of the stem that now threatens to fall down. Even before the fall of the tree, the fountain in viale Tiziano already was in rather unsatisfactory conditions. The surface is covered by dust and pollutants and by deposits of calcium of medium thickness, caused by the hardness of the water in Rome. Biological organisms (algae, molds, lichens) have grown and covered a good part of the surface. Cracks and losses in the concrete are manifold, due mainly to the oxidation of the iron frame inside, as you can see in the central stem, but also due to the use and to the natural ageing process of the materials. The fountain never underwent a comprehensive conservation project while some periodical maintenance treatments were performed in the last years by Comune di Roma. Required Conservation Treatments The condition of unsafety due to the crash of the tree urge a prompt intervention, addressed primarily to the consolidation of the dilapidated structure of the stem and to the removal of the irretrievable fragments of the intermediate basin. It needs to be stressed, in fact, that the violence of the crash has been so devastating that doubts arise about the opportunity of reassembling the original, damaged pieces. Such doubts are reinforced if one considers that the fountain is a replica, whose model, the oval Fontana Oscura in Villa Borghese, can easily be imitated again. Consequently, and in contrast with our tradition in conservation history and theory, we believe that 4

5 in this specific situation the damaged pieces, notably the intermediate basin and part of the stem, need to be completely redone, carefully imitating the lost parts. Besides these operations connected with the effects of the tree crash, the conservation project is also expected to include the following treatments: - Biocide treatment - Cleaning and removal of the calcium incrustations - Cleaning and treatment of the iron structure - Consolidation and re-adhesion of cracked and crumbling parts - Filling in of cracks, losses and joins - Protective surface coating - Waterproof coating of the basins - Review and repair of the hydraulic system The project is also expected to encompass the row of seats surrounding the fountain, including redoing the part that has been destroyed by the tree. Rome, May 13,