Italia Nostra concerned about restoration of Velia theater: work very impactful

Italia Nostra expresses its concern about the restoration work that is affecting the theater of Velia, in the Archaeological Park of Paestum and Velia, after seeing some photos that, the association explains, “show very impactful works on the cavea and the bleachers of the theater, which more than a restoration foreshadow a real ’transformation’ of the archaeological asset.” The theater itself, Italia Nostra recalls, was the subject in the past (in the early 2000s) of a conservative restoration carried out with a reinforced earth foundation placed to support the ancient steps. “It appears evident,” Italia Nostra argues, “that such a subgrade is definitely incompatible with the possibility of wanting to proceed, rather than to a conservative restoration, to a structural integration of the cavea, aimed as it would seem at the public use of the theater.”

According to the association, the new plasters create a strong visual impact, and it questions whether this project was properly approved by a collegial structure of experts and state archaeological heritage officers. Italia Nostra also declares that it is not against the use of the theater for public performances, as long as this does not include interventions that would distort it.

The president of the Cilento-Lucana section of Italia Nostra, Teresa Rotella, also points out that the theater of Velia is already a place not only for visits but also for cultural events that are very well attended, “although,” she writes in an open letter sent to the Park, to the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio of Salerno and to the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, “organized in the spaces above the ancient steps, which [...] would not have the bearing capacity to accommodate a crowd of patrons.”

Italia Nostra therefore calls for an urgent reinstatement of the places “currently disfigured by the patches of plaster made by the works,” inviting Velia’s management to study possible alternative solutions. For example, the association suggests, “the creation of light wooden or metal structures, removable, but not interfering with the footprint of the ancient wall structure. Such structures, in fact, could be built in the right area of the current cavea, where there is the layout of the ancient medieval moat of the citadel of Castellammare della Bruca. This would achieve a twofold result: on the one hand, the configuration of the entire spatiality of the cavea, and on the other hand, the preservation of the layout that involved the destruction, in the Middle Ages, of an area of the theater.”

The Park, for its part, had already released some clarifications on the restoration, which has been much criticized in recent days. “The intervention,” the Park management explained, “consists of restoring the integrations of the seats that were in an advanced state of deterioration at the time of the start of construction, with a special pozzolanic mortar developed for this purpose. The materials and techniques adopted do not involve direct contact between mortar and ancient parts, nor the use of cement. The color of the integrated parts will not be the one currently visible, but a darker shade that will still allow the conservative intervention to be clearly distinguished from the original structures.” An intervention, the Park explained, based on the criteria of recognizability and reversibility, which will have the dual purpose of ensuring protection and preservation and expanding accessibility.

Italia Nostra concerned about restoration of Velia theater: work very impactful

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