Ancient Noto. Reading the “absence” as a strategy in the conservation and enhancement of the archaeological ruins.

The analysis develops the theme of the interpretation as a multidisciplinary tool to understand the archaeological fragments. The case study is the plain of Mount Alveria. It was the foundation site of the Ancient Noto before it was rebuilt in today’s position, after the earthquake of 1693. The ancient city had a fundamental role in the control of the territory, both during the Arabic and Spanish domination. The site contains essential pieces of evidence of its history, but, for many aspects, its knowledge is only at the beginning. The ancient City “suspended in the time” is a significant site to test a method of approach to intangible values through the edge between conservation, reconstruction and reuse. The analysis uses the study of archival documents, the report of the archaeological excavation reports, the architectural surveys and the cataloguing of the fragments associated with the placement of all these elements in the urban settlement and landscape. These tools are necessary to deepen the knowledge of the place and to identify a structure of signs characterized not only by the material historical data but also by an intangible memorial meaning. Through the use of the architecture’s narrative values, each fragment has been interpreted as a sign that can explain itself by its material significant and through its relationship with the other fragments. This reference to Semiotics is an instrument to relate the evaluations on a system of limits, previously said, as a preliminary evaluation for the design proposal in the conservation of archaeological ruins. This paper aims to investigate, taking in count the recent governing guidelines about the cultural heritage, the possibilities of “integration” of the aesthetic and associated cultural-material values of the built heritage in conservation and evaluation.