Masonry architecture in Baroque Naples: the Church of San Giuseppe delle Scalze between degradation and prospects for restoration

This paper will investigate the issues related to the conservation of historic buildings, with specific reference to the church of San Giuseppe delle Scalze in Pontecorvo, a revealing case located in the historic center of Naples. The study puts special emphasis on a knowledge of the mechanical and material characteristics which have resulted from construction know-how at the time of building and from the frequent changes as a result of exceptional events. This is instrumental in the identification of a correct methodology of analysis for the assessment of the material condition of buildings of great historical and artistic interest located in the historic center of Naples. The analysis of structural and material features as well as the awareness of the mechanisms of recurrent damage are decisive factors for a conservation project that envisages an intervention of to consolidate or improve but not replace ancient structures. The overarching goal is that monuments should be placed side by side with new ones, and continue to "work" as they were originally designed to.