Integrating conservation and valorisation. The Etruscan archaeological site of Sovana in Italy

The Italian conservation tradition and legislation is based on the cultural chain of scientific-historic knowledge, conservation, valorisation and fruition in order to promote a well balanced approach to heritage protection. However, increased academic specialisation, pressing tourist market demands and the fragmentation of administrative and management responsibilities have in recent decades produced unilateral projects and partial interventions. Integrating conservation and valorisation processes and reinforcing their dialogue using new information technologies is now days considered the most appropriate way to intervene both in archaeological and urban historic sites in order to promote more sustainable results. It is in this context that was elaborated the project financed by the Tuscan Region, with European funds, entitled "TeCon@BC: Technologies for the conservation and valorisation of cultural heritage" coordinated by the Institute for the Conservation and Enhancement of Cultural Heritage-ICVBC of the National Research Council of Italy-CNR, during 2010-2012. The project identified in the Etruscan archaeological site of Sovana, a disadvantaged area, an appropriate case study to better conserve, enhance and riqualify. The project's outputs from the different research groups (comprising research institutes, University departments, public Institutions and private enterprises) that worked under our (ICVBC's) coordination regarded: innovative materials for the conservation of stone, pictorial, glass and metallic cultural heritage; innovative technologies for the evaluation of the conservation treatments and the monitoring of environmental factors; tools for the monitoring of the state of conservation of the case study area and digital tools for the valorisation of the archaeological site on three distinct territorial levels of intervention. The interrelated and integrated approach between different levels of conservation and enhancement will be briefly presented and discussed showing the outcomes of the project, considered as best practices to be followed eventually worldwide.