Un percorso di conoscenza per la valorizzazione del Famedio del Cimitero di Messina

In light of the definition set forth in the Statute of the International Council of Museums (ICOM, 2007), according to which “a museum is a permanent, non-profit institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which conducts research on the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment, acquires it, conserves it, communicates it, and exhibits it for the purposes of study, education, and enjoyment,” it is possible to assimilate the cemetery to a territorial device dedicated to the preservation and transmission of a complex cultural heritage. Such heritage is configured as tangible, insofar as it is articulated through architectural, artistic, and urban components, and as intangible, insofar as it consists of rites, symbols, and traditions associated with the cult of the dead. The combined effects of material degradation, abandonment, and repeated episodes of theft have made it urgent to implement safeguarding strategies aimed at preventing the loss of a significant historical and artistic capital. Within this context, in recent years local administrations have progressively undertaken structured regeneration initiatives, promoting programs of conservation-oriented restoration intended to enhance monumental cemeteries as fully-fledged cultural infrastructures. The research focuses on the analysis, conducted through digital surveying and subsequent modelling based on available archive materials of one of the principal structures within the Monumental Cemetery of Messina, considered among the most significant examples built in Italy during the second half of the nineteenth century. The object of investigation is the Famedio, or “Temple of Fame,” whose study is aimed at defining a knowledge framework useful for planning restoration interventions and for its subsequent enhancement, with a view to integrating the complex into the city’s tourist and cultural circuits.