Strategies for the building stone and damage mapping applied to the historical centre of Catania

The conservation and restoration of built heritage requires the application of a knowledge process established by the scientific community. This process should always be interdisciplinary and include: historical investigations, geometric and construction-technique surveys, degradation maps, in situ (pre-diagnostic phase) and in laboratory analysis. This paper describes an interdisciplinary approach applied by geologists, engineers and architects to the study of the portal of Villa Cerami, following the Fitzner method. The Villa is an important example of 18th century "villa urbana", located in the historical center of Catania, on the hill named "Sperone del Penninello". The access to the court is through the monumental portal that is an impressive example of local baroque.