Relations between Intangible and Tangible in the insula of Monteoliveto in Naples

Preserving cultural heritage is one of the objectives and at the same time one of the most important challenges of our time because it alone can guarantee the protection of the tangible and intangible values of our civilisation. However, the issue of their relationship is both broad and complex. On the one hand, tangible values are able to express the image and identity of a place in a simpler and more direct way. On the other, they fit into an intangible framework, made up of signs and stories, capable of giving meaning and significance in a more detailed manner. This complexity of reflections gave rise to the research that this contribution presents, centred on the monastic complex of Monteoliveto and the annexed church of Sant’Anna dei Lombardi in Naples, as the most interesting examples, in the city’s rich cultural heritage, of the early Renaissance. Specifically, the contribution aims to investigate, through survey and representation, the relationships between the Intangible and Tangible that the monument and its insula subtend in their material form (Fig.01). Therefore, the study aims to make visible what is concealed today by using the poietic power of surveying articulated in the combined and integrated use of traditional techniques and more innovative technologies. To this end, the focus is not only on the architectural complex, but also extends to the urban context in which it originates and evolves, pursuing the still relevant principles of the International Restoration Charter of Venice.