A Multidisciplinary Approach for the Conservation Design of the Medieval Fortress of Vogogna from the Analysis to the Valorization of the Archeological Site

Abstract

Preservation design is characterized by high interactions among different skills, including both architectural and engineering field. When the architectural heritage is composed of the ruins of a medieval fortress, the contribution of archeological studies is fundamental to recognize the different construction phases of the building. This work presents the most recent stratigraphic analyses conducted on the fortress of Vogogna, a military masonry castle in Ossola Valley, Piedmont, whose origin is lost in time and provides further support to define the correct interpretation of the architectural artifact. Previous studies showed several shortcomings concerning the historical evolution of the structure and a precise geometrical survey. The authors developed a geometrical model of the archeological site, through advanced survey techniques, and analyzed the historical maps of the cadasters to investigate additions and transformations of the abandoned fortress and its connection with the rural and natural surrounding fields. The updated information provided new indications for the past uses of the building, and the digital model allowed further considerations on the geometrical characteristics of the structures, addressing some choices for the final reuse proposal for the site, today at the center of a wider project to enhance the cultural heritage in the Vogogna area.

1. Introduction

This study took origin from the invitation received from the members of the city council of Vogogna, a town of about 1687 inhabitants, to arrange an academic workshop in its historical center. The municipality was looking for a collaboration with the university to develop the analysis of the locally built heritage, with the request to verify the possible development of a cultural path through the main points of interest offered by the context. Vogogna is a small town placed in Ossola Valley (Figure 1), a mountainous district of North Italy, in the Piedmont region [1]. The historical center includes a broad medieval settlement composed of multi-story houses, noble palaces, churches, porticoed streets and defensive structures. The town was an important administrative center of the Ossola Valley in the past, but nowadays it has undergone a serious economic crisis, diffused in this area of Piedmont [2]. The changes in the main productive activities of the region, like metallurgical industry and the progressive abandonment of traditional trade linked to the rock quarries, produced a negative economic impact in the area. Among the various solutions promoted by local authorities, the empowerment of cultural services appeared as a promising asset for future job opportunities. Thus, the Municipality of Vogogna subscribed to a convention with the School of Architecture, Urban Planning, Construction Engineering of Politecnico di Milano, specifically with the Preservation Studio course coordinated by the authors.

The aim of the convention is to develop historical analyses, advanced geometrical surveys, investigation tests and conservation designs on some selected historical buildings of Vogogna. The request also concerned the ruins of the medieval fortress near the city center, built on a promontory of the mountain that rises behind the town. The municipality gave the opportunity to the course participants to access some public buildings and promoted the involvement of some private owners in the initiative to open some parts of their property to the students. The aim of the Preservation Studio is to offer training in setting up and finalizing a conservation design [3]. The students, divided in teams and coordinated by the teaching staff, experienced the common activities requested by the Italian Cultural Heritage Code [4] for achieving an in-depth knowledge of the historical buildings and developing the various steps of the conservation process: analysis of the urban context, the environmental scenario, the architectural features of the assigned buildings, the constructive techniques, defining the strategy for preserving the architectural heritage and for introducing new functions. The final goal of the studio was the setting of a valorization strategy for promoting the historical relevance of the analyzed building and its significance with respect to the local community [5].

In Vogogna, a general idea of enhancement was indicated by the mayor, involved since 2020 with the regional councilor in the request for public fundings to the Ministry of Culture in Rome, for a set of interventions on different buildings of the city center. His public declarations indicated a plan for reinforcing the touristic role of the town in the Ossola Valley by the restoration of some public properties, a coordinated activity among new touristic services, the implementation of the local museum housed in the 14th century castle and the connection with different recreational paths offered by the natural park surrounding the town, the Val Grande park, characterized by the largest wilderness area in Italy [6]. The presence of a relevant historical center and the cultural landscape offered by the protected natural area became the main assets for revitalizing the local economy.

An important part of the budget obtained by the Ministry of Culture was committed for the conservation design of the fortress of Vogogna, a military structure characterized by a tall square tower, belonging to a larger system of watchtowers, constructed to protect the Ossola Valley from the invasions coming from the neighboring Swiss cantons [7]. The ruins are immersed in the forest that grows along the slopes of the mountain overlooking the city. This work presents the results matured by a multidisciplinary study campaign addressed to the analysis of the state of conservation of the fortress of Vogogna and the evaluation of the future reuse of its structures.

2. Research Questions and Goals

The main issue of the work concerns the complexity of the ruined fortress here considered. The building was organized on different levels, presenting an articulated distribution along the slope of the mountain, characterized by the presence of terraces, partially collapsed or completely hidden by the spontaneous vegetation. Accessibility is difficult, and the existing surveys of the fortress are limited to the plan of the higher level and two elevations. For the complete analysis of the ruin, a full survey is necessary: the graphic representation of the various portions of the building requires a survey of the main prospects and the development of several sections. The common survey techniques, like direct measurements and photogrammetry, are difficult to apply here due to the irregular condition of the ground and the irregular shape of the architectural elements. A laser scanner was considered the most reliable technique for obtaining the geometrical model of the fortress, but the relevant slope of the land and the vegetation required the use of a drone unit to survey all the parts of the site.

The work presented the first important issue regarding the most suitable advanced survey techniques to be integrated into a digital model for the elaboration of 2D geometrical views (plans, prospects and sections) and 3D representations [8]. Connected to this kind of digital model, the representation of the material components of the building can be arranged by integrating high-resolution pictures and algorithms for digital rectification to obtain very detailed maps of the stone masonry characterizing the surfaces of walls, a fundamental step for further elaboration, including the mapping of materials and their decays.

This level of detail in the technical drawings is not available in the existing documentation, but a clear identification of the masonry patterns, together with the nature of the different stones, could allow further observations concerning the stratigraphic analysis of the building.

The conservation design includes the solutions for the interventions on the decayed materials and the task concerning the ruins of the structures that are exposed to the environment without any protection.

The aim of the study is to assess whether the fortress ruins can play a strategic role within the broader heritage enhancement plan proposed by the municipality of Vogogna, fostering stronger links with the tourism opportunities provided by the Val Grande National Park, to which the town belongs.

3. Materials and Methods

The work is based on a literature review which includes the last theoretical studies on three main issues: the valorization principles for the cultural heritage [9,10,11], the digital twin applied to the built heritage [12,13], and the conservation practices for archeological sites exposed to the natural environment [14,15].

The research also includes on-field activities. Thanks to the agreement with the municipality of Vogogna, it was possible to consult archive documents useful for understanding the measures adopted to protect the fortress and make it part of a structured path with the other medieval architectures of the village. The collection of literary sources on local history, consisting of dated texts, often no longer on the market, was supported by some members of the local cultural association of Lower Ossola, whose guidance was also useful for understanding the cultural strategies introduced in the area in agreement with the municipal administration. Furthermore, the complexity of the fortress required two full days with three operators for recording the on-site measurements based on advanced survey techniques.

The municipality archive provided documents concerning conservation designs carried out on some public properties, and was also fruitful to outline the vision adopted by past and present administrators for the valorization of this territory, promoting challenging re-functionalization of some ancient buildings, like the Visconteo Castle and the Praetorium Palace, the concession of public properties to private subjects in exchange for the restoration of the building, like for the headquarters of the Val Grande Park, housed into an historical palace. Through the archive, it was observed that the fortress was regularly maintained against the growth of spontaneous vegetation on its walls, ensuring that the ruins receive basic care against dangerous interactions with the plant elements of the surrounding forest.

The advanced survey was carried out by laser scanning, organized through a topographic network, supported by a drone. The combination of the data recorded by these devises was fundamental to overpass several limitations during the acquisition phase, due to the roughness of the terrain, the presence of the vegetation and the risks connected to the steep terrain on some sides of the complex. The obtained 3D model was further used for the elaboration of the 2D views used during the analysis of the conservation state of the building and the preservation design.

3.1. Short Description of the Case Study and Its Context

The small town of Vogogna presents a wide medieval center, where palaces, churches, civic and defensive structures are constructed from stone masonry, sometimes covered with colored plaster, sometimes with exposed stone blocks, characterized by roofing systems with slates (Figure 2). The defensive system of the town is now partially lost. It was set during the 14th century, when Giovanni Visconti, archbishop of Novara and future Lord of Milan, transformed the village into the seat of power for the south part of Ossola Valley [16], in contrast with Domodossola, capital of the upper Ossola. In the medieval period, the main cities under Visconti rule replicated the civic model of the Broletto Palace, a building used for public functions [17]. In Vogogna, this public building for the administration of justice and other public services was built in 1348 at the behest of the archbishop of Novara [18] (pp. 177–188), in the main central square of the town. It is known as the Praetorium Palace. The castle, known as Visconti Castle (Figure 3a), located on top of the town center, not far away from the Praetorium Palace, is considered part of a defensive system that includes walls and city gates. Some portions of the defensive walls are now incorporated into other buildings. The experts also considered the ruins of the fortress of Vogogna, housed on the mountain hanging over the village, as a component of that defensive system [18] (p. 317), probably pre-existing, but later strengthened when the city increased its importance.

During the 15th century, several attacks against Vogogna were documented [19] (pp. 9–52). The antagonism between the southern Swiss cities, Domodossola and Vogogna, was testified by frequent military sieges. In 1514, during an attack coordinated by the army from Domodossola, the fortress was deeply damaged and never repaired. Its decadence was characterized by the progressive degradation of its structures that were also reused for rural activities. The ruins of the fortress present a significant portion of the square tower, considered the first original nucleus of a complex, large defensive walls and two circular towers at the south-east and south-west corners. The experts consider that the square tower, at the highest point of the fortification, was part of an observation system along the valley of the Toce river [18,19]: other similar square towers were built halfway up the hill and the ones in Cadezza, Valle Anzasca and Cimamulera are still visually connected. When Giovanni Visconti constructed the Praetorium Palace in Vogogna, new integrations were added to the fortress, expanding its perimeter and adapting the walls with new buttress and round surfaces for better contrasting the new gunpowder-based weapons since the 15th century.

The ruins of the fortress (Figure 3b) are part of the cultural landscape of the area. They appear from a peak of the Orsetto Mountain, behind the historical center of Vogogna, and are close to the rural hamlet of Genestredo (Figure 3c), a village located a few hundred above the town, made of stone houses organized on different levels due to the slope of the land, crossed by narrow paved paths, with some squares for community activities provided with washboard and fountain, and a 16th century chapel with a wide pronaos decorated with fresco works.

3.2. The Countermeasures Against the Negative Socio-Economic Trend in Ossola Valley

Since the last decades of the 20th century, the strong de-industrialization that occurred in several valleys of Piedmont produced a deep socio-economic impact in the mountainous areas of the region [20]. The north-east Province of Verbano-Cusio Ossola, where the large number of workers were employed in the mechanical and mining industries, experienced a deep conversion towards the tertiary sector. The socio-economic scenario, based on permanent positions in the secondary sector, experienced an increment in the building sector and the business services [21]. The analysts consider the new condition to be associated with a more diffused precarious employment [22] as the cause of the depopulation of some areas of this district. Vogogna, where the rural economy was replaced by the extractive activities for stones and metals, still preserves some industrial archeological sites. Nowadays, marble quarries and metallurgic factories are misused. The promotion of the service industry appeared through the increasing development of commercial and craft. Those ones are established along the main communication roads, like the Simplon Street, the axis connecting Milan to France across Lombardy and Piedmont, passing through Vogogna. The consequence was the drastic decline of commercial activities from the historical center of Vogogna, where the ancient medieval galleries are now facing closed shops. Even those fundamental services housed here for centuries, like the pharmacy and the doctor’s surgery, moved out of the center with other traditional businesses, like the bakery, the dairy and the ironmonger.

The lack of services and a built heritage characterized by housing conditions that are very far from the standard requirements of contemporary living led to a remarkable depopulation of the historical center. The residents moved to the outer city, where parking spaces are available, and the main services are reachable by car. The ancient properties in the center are not abandoned, but simply unexploited. The owners guaranteed the correct maintenance, even the restoration in such cases, renewing the plasters, controlling the roof efficiency with the arrangement of the slates, strengthening the load-bearing walls, but some buildings are now showing signs of neglectfulness, with the disruption of the coatings, and in some cases, the collapse of the roofs.

The reduction in the population, due to the migration of the young residents to other towns offering better working opportunities, left a segment of the elderly citizens in Vogogna. The residences in the city center, like in Genestredo hamlet, are now used as second houses during the holiday periods. As a result, the town has lost several essential services for the community, from the public medical clinic to the secondary schools, making the context of Vogogna very similar to that of the so-called “internal areas”. Those territories are characterized by small towns presenting severe limitations in essential services: health, education and mobility. To contrast the marginalization of such areas, since 2014, some legislative acts have been implemented to promote territorial cohesion at national level [23]. The national strategy for the revitalization of fragile contexts is part of the cohesion policies for the territories coordinated by the European Government and implemented by national and regional measures. The issue is duly treated in recent studies [24], providing a clear picture of the situation that several small centers like Vogogna are experiencing; small villages cannot survive due to the birth-rate fall, the migration of the few young subjects, the increase in a population composed by old people not able to keep the community alive. This condition brings the small centers to an inevitable impoverishment, with the drying up of the local activities, the suppression of public services and the disappearance of the cultural characteristics of the place.

According to the above-mentioned considerations, Vogogna appears in a borderline condition, intent on managing the changes in the local economy, looking for a solution to combine the needs of the present with the preservation of the remarkable historical center and the surrounding natural environment. The tourist vacation of the place is emerging as a strategic asset for the future development of the town. Vogogna hosts the headquarters of the Val Grande natural park and is listed in the association “Most beautiful villages in Italy”, on behalf of the National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI).

Since the rediscovery of proximity tourism, after the recent COVID health crisis [25], growing flows of tourists coming from nearby areas were also observed in Vogogna. Here the visitors can find a well-structured offer for exploring the natural park, while the cultural services are still limited. Vogogna presents several points of interest, but they are not always open and accessible. The role of the cultural institutions of the town requires coordinated interventions and general empowerment, in line with the recommendations issued by the Department for the Territorial Cohesion, indicating the local cultural heritage as the driving force for the development of small communities, through the reinforcement of local traditions and the protection of tangible and intangible values embodied in the built heritage. The focus is to reconnect the inhabitants with their living context, reinforcing the relationship among history, traditions, work activities and cultural aspects. This place-based strategy does not invest on specific driving sectors, like industrial or agricultural activities, for developing business and employment opportunities, but prefers to consider the different fields characterizing a territory and address them to a common convergence, the preservation of technical knowledge, investing on the formation of a human capital that in a long-view perspective will provide the conditions to improve and reactivate economic, social, cultural and environmental sectors of the territory [26].

Since 2022, the administration of Vogogna has been working on the issue of the depopulation of its historical center. Following the recommendations issued at a national and regional level to counteract the marginalization of mountain towns, the municipality managed to obtain fundings to be allocated to a series of interventions with a dual objective: to conserve the architectural heritage and to structure an effective cultural path that leads visitors from the historic center, through the hamlet of Genestredo, to the fortress and then inside the paths of the natural park. As requested by the administration in the Convention between the municipality and Politecnico di Milano, the authors analyzed the case of the fortress, considering its role in the natural context, but also its role and the relationship with the local community, developing a design proposal for its valorization.

4. Detailed Analyses of the Vogogna Fortress

4.1. Geometrical Survey of the Complex

The geometrical survey of the fortress combined multiple advanced techniques to achieve comprehensive and detailed documentation of the historic fortress and its surrounding landscape. This integrated approach was carefully planned to leverage the strengths of each method, addressing the site’s challenging topography, complex architectural features and the need for high-resolution data for analysis and conservation [27]. At the core of the survey strategy was the combination of aerial photogrammetry and terrestrial laser scanning (TLS). These technologies were selected for their complementary capabilities, ensuring both large-scale coverage and fine architectural detail [28,29]. The site’s location on a steep hillside and the intricate structure of the fortress required a combined and holistic approach to overcome limitations posed by individual methods (Figure 4).

The aerial survey was carried out using a DJI Air 2S drone, chosen for its portability and imaging capabilities. In particular, the survey was carried out by adopting a manual flight strategy to adapt to the environmental conditions. Indeed, strong winds during the survey necessitated hands-on control to ensure the drone’s stability and the accuracy of the data collected. This decision proved crucial, as the area’s topography and the precision required for the project demanded flexibility and careful piloting. The image acquisition process was thoughtfully planned to meet the project’s dual objectives. Standard nadir images were captured to produce an orthophoto of the fortress and its immediate surroundings, while oblique and convergent images were acquired to document the vertical surfaces. These vertical perspectives were essential for the stratigraphic analysis of architectural elements, such as the remains of the fortress tower and the external fortification walls. The steep slopes surrounding the structure made ground-based methods impractical, reinforcing the importance of aerial imaging. Over the course of an hour, 763 images were captured, including 373 nadir images at a flight altitude of approximately 25 m and 390 oblique [30] and convergent images that covered the entirety of the fortress. Georeferencing was performed using ground control points (GCPs), as the DJI Air 2S lacks advanced positioning systems like RTK or PPK. Sixteen checkerboard targets, each 30 × 30 cm, were placed strategically around the site, and their coordinates were measured with an Emlid Reach RS2 receiver, which received corrections from the SPIN3 GNSS permanent station network (https://www.spingnss.it/ (accessed on 20 March 2025)). This setup ensured a high positional precision of ±2 cm, enabling accurate alignment of the images during processing [31]. The images were initially processed in Agisoft Metashape 2.01, which provided robust tools for estimating calibration parameters and orienting the dataset without requiring predefined settings. Ten of the GCPs were used for georeferencing, while six were reserved as checkpoints to assess the accuracy of the orientation. The results were impressive, with a root mean square error (RMSE) for the GCPs of 1.0 cm in the east direction, 1.1 cm in the north and 0.8 cm in altitude. Similar accuracy was observed for the checkpoints, reflecting the reliability of the workflow and the precision of the dataset. To generate a high-quality 3D model of the Rocca di Vogogna, the data was further processed in Bentley ContextCapture. This software was selected for its ability to produce a detailed and complete mesh, enhancing the model’s fidelity. The orientation results from Metashape were seamlessly imported into ContextCapture, enabling the creation of a textured model that faithfully represented the fortress and its surroundings. The textured 3D model facilitated the production of two key deliverables. The first was an overall orthophoto of the Rocca di Vogogna site, derived exclusively from nadir images to ensure a uniform ground sampling distance (GSD) of 1.0 cm. This approach minimized illumination and shadowing differences, producing a consistent and high-quality visual output. The second delivery focused on the vertical elevations of the fortress, which are critical for stratigraphic analysis. These orthophotos were generated from oblique and convergent images to accurately capture the textures and details of the steeply sloped walls and other vertical surfaces. The resulting elevation orthophotos achieved a finer GSD of 0.5 cm, enabling a detailed examination of the masonry and construction techniques. To optimize the production of these deliverables, the 3D model created in Bentley ContextCapture was re-imported into Agisoft Metashape. This workflow leveraged Metashape’s user-friendly tools for defining projection planes and performing necessary edits, streamlining the generation of both the overall orthophoto and the elevation-specific orthophotos [8].

The survey of the Rocca di Vogogna using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) provided an invaluable complement to the aerial data, capturing high-resolution details of the fortress’s structure and surrounding terrain. The method was chosen for its ability to document complex architectural geometries with exceptional accuracy, particularly in areas where aerial imagery might be less effective or shadowed [32]. The terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) survey of the fortress utilized two complementary instruments to achieve comprehensive coverage of the site: the Faro Focus S70 and the Leica BLK G1. This dual-instrument approach was carefully chosen to balance the need for high-resolution detail with the practicalities of scanning areas that were challenging to access. The Faro Focus S70 was deployed as the primary scanner, tasked with capturing the main architectural elements of the fortress, including its elevations and the remaining walls. The Faro S70 was ideal for documenting the intricate textures and features of the masonry, as well as the overall geometry of the structure. Its ability to capture dense point clouds with minimal noise made it the preferred choice for areas where precision was critical, such as the vertical surfaces of the fortress walls and the remains of the tower. For areas that were difficult to access, including steep terraces and narrow spaces surrounding the castle, the Leica BLK G1 proved indispensable. Compact and highly portable, the BLK G1 allowed extending the survey into areas that would have been challenging or impossible to scan with the Faro S70. While the BLK G1 offers slightly lower resolution compared to the Faro, it was perfectly suited for capturing the broader geometry of these challenging locations and filling gaps in the dataset. In totalm, 103 scans of the site were acquired. To ensure the coherence of the TLS dataset, scan registration was performed using Leica Register360 software. This platform enabled the seamless alignment of individual scans from both instruments, creating a unified point cloud of the entire site. The registration process relied on a combination of overlapping scan data and reference targets distributed across the survey area. These targets provided a common framework for aligning scans from the Faro S70 and BLK G1, ensuring consistency in the final dataset. To georeference the TLS data, a series of targets were distributed throughout the site, corresponding to the same network of control points used for the drone survey [33]. These targets were measured with high precision using an Emlid Reach RS2 receiver, ensuring that the terrestrial and aerial datasets could be seamlessly integrated. This coordination was critical for producing a unified 3D model that combined the strengths of both TLS and photogrammetry.

The integration of TLS with drone-based photogrammetry proved to be a powerful approach. The primary delivery from the TLS and drone survey was a detailed 3D model of the fortress and its immediate surroundings. This model served as a foundation for a range of analyses, including the generation of orthophotos, cross-sections, and elevation views (Figure 5). The level of detail achieved by TLS and drone data was particularly advantageous for documenting the fortress’s vertical surfaces, providing an unparalleled view of their construction techniques and current condition. These insights are essential for any stratigraphic analysis or conservation planning, offering a clear understanding of the materials and methods used in the original construction and subsequent modifications, as presented in the next sections.

4.2. Historical Analysis of the Fortress

The origin of the fortress is not documented. Experts compared its higher fence with the square tower to similar fortifications that appeared in the 12th century in the region, and associated the outer fences with further additions [18]. The phases of the evolution of the fortress started to be documented in the 14th century, when Vogogna became the capital of the lower Ossola Valley under the lordship of the Visconti Family from Milan [19]. At that time, towns and villages of the Ossola Valley were subjected to frequent invasions from the league of nearby Swiss League, led by Luzern. The pretext was the defense of a minority of shepherds and farmers originally from Swiss lands who settled in the valley, but these lands had become very attractive due to their rural economic development.

The Ossola Valley, colonized since the time of the Romans, increased its permanent urban settlements by the tillage of its fields and the construction of the terraces made by the Walser [1], colonies named after local farmers and lords from Valais, a canton in southern Switzerland. Thanks to the improvement of the economical exchanges during the medieval age and the important routes for controlling the Alps crossings, the valley became an attempting region, and the Swiss confederation tried to subtract it from the Visconti’s domain several times. The presence of several medieval towers and fortresses around Vogogna, Domodossola and Lake Maggiore are evidence of the defensive network of watchtowers and military sites set to resist the attacks coming from the other side of the Alps (Figure 6). Among the various invasions, the ones that occurred in 1410, 1411 and 1425 directly involved Vogogna and its defensive structures [18].

Fights occurred even against Domodossola, another town that shared predominance in this area, together with Vogogna. The complex reported severe damage in 1300 during a siege and the main repair works are associated with the construction of the new defensive structures of the town, dating back to 1348 when the Praetorium palace was built [34] on the initiative of Giovanni Visconti, bishop of Novara. According to this interpretation, Giovanni Visconti renewed the defensive system of the town with a circle of fortified walls connected to the castle, constructed behind the new center of administrative power, the Praetorian Palace. In this context, the fortress on the mountain behind underwent some modifications as military bastion connected to the town and its territory.

While the hypothesis of a general renewal of the fortifications remains unverified, the historical sources indicate precisely that with the acquisition of the Vogogna fiefdom by Vitaliano Borromeo, who bought it from the Visconti family, the fortress underwent one of the phases for the renewal of the building. A study reporting the interpretation of the evolution of the building was carried out by Babbini [34], who considered different masonry patterns to distinguish the transformations of the building. Her study identifies 10 main construction phases, showing a progressive enlargement of the defensive walls, the square tower, and its buttress, culminating in the addition of the round towers. The hypotheses introduced by the above-mentioned study were integrated with a deep analysis of the geometry of the building matured after the elaboration of the advanced survey. The main stratigraphic phases illustrating the transformations in the evolution of the fortress were compared with the surviving structures of the complex to provide a stratigraphic plan and 3D layouts showing the changes over time of the building (Figure 7).

At a first stage, the fortification consisted only of a tower (shorter than the actual one) and a small fence. As for other similar structures located in Ossola Valley dated back to the 12th century [34], the lower is characterized by roughly cut stones displayed on horizontal courses with a consistent use of shims (Figure 8a). From the interior side of the fence, the elevations are free from the defensive buttress added later and present several regular and long white blocks made of local gneiss, used as architrave in the openings, now closed by infilled stone materials. These well-shaped elements were also used for regularizing the masonry pattern and for providing a reliable connection among the various components.

The first transformations concerned the enclosure itself, which grew larger over time. The archeological rests of this second stage are overlayed with further modifications, thus not easily interpretable, but the elevation of the east side of the fence reveals the use of a different building technique. In this case, the components of the wall are flakes of rock arranged in a herringbone pattern (Figure 8b). This solution allows the use of fragments from the processing of rocks extracted from the quarry and, at the same time, improves the connection and mechanical interlocking between the masonry materials.

In the third stage, the fortress was extended until its actual south perimeter. The limited portions of walls belonging to this phase show regular cut blocks arranged on ordered courses, occasionally supported by stone shims and splinters (Figure 8c).

The fourth stage corresponds to the construction of a lodging on the east side of the fence. The building is partially silted up, but some openings are recognizable as some slots for the beams, indicating that the structure had different levels. The masonry structure is formed by subhorizontal courses with trapezium shaped blocks (Figure 8d).

The fifth phase should precede the reinforcement of the square tower, described in the next stage, with the renewal of the north-west portions of the fence. The masonry is composed of split blocks with irregular dimensions connected by several stone shims (Figure 8e).

The sixth stage is documented by two documents on the building of new buttresses conserved in the archive of the Borromeo family: a contract on the works for the enlargement and the reinforcement of the upper fortress of Vogogna, and the relative note on the building costs, both dated 1458. They report the request from Count Filippo Borromeo for a new buttress at the base of the north square tower and the building of a semicircular tower on the north-east side of the fortress. The masonry walls of those structures are characterized by oblong stone blocks arranged into an irregular pattern (Figure 8f).

The addition of a buttress in front of the square tower is documented. It is the first adjustment to face the introduction of the bombards as military weapons. The use of fire dust and the appearance of cannonballs during the 15th century imposed a general renewal of medieval defensive structures. The edges of square volumes were deeply vulnerable to such new weapons, thus, round towers were introduced to guarantee a higher performance against the impact of cannonballs. This process is commonly visible in several fortresses and castles [35,36]. In Vogogna, the additions of three round towers are documented from 1458 to 1514. This period corresponds to the passage from the domain of the Ossola Valley under the lords of Milan, Visconti, until 1447, to the Borromeo family. In 1448, the feud of Vogogna was given to Vitaliano Borromeo, a powerful and wealthy ally of the dukes of Milan, Filippo Maria Visconti and Francesco Sforza, who started the renewal of the defensive structures of Vogogna [37]. Together with Vogogna, other important areas of Ossola Valley and Lake Maggiore became part of the so-called Borromeo State. Due to its the strategic position between the north-west borders of the Duchy of Milan and Switzerland, Vitaliano Borromeo and his heirs increased the defensive structures of the area, maintaining their domain on these lands even after the conclusion of the era of the Sforza family in Milan [38].

The seventh stage corresponds to the raising of the square tower. The new volume was characterized by small openings and some jutty, as proved by the couple of molded shells visible on the north side. The masonry is composed of trapezoid-shaped stones, arranged along subhorizontal joints (Figure 8g), with well-shaped stones in “white gneiss” used only for the edges of the tower.

The eighth stage is characterized by the renewal of the east side of the baily, with the addition of an extended communication trench at the top, connected to the new semicircular tower at the south-east corner. These structures are connected to the rest of a square tower on the south side. The traces of windows and a chimney flu indicate the housing used reserved to this area, now partially lost. The masonry elements present a structure formed by regular stones, arranged on horizontal courses, with a limited use of shims into the joints (Figure 8h). In this phase, the openings are characterized using solid bricks.

The nineth stage can be identified with the abandonment of the structure, which occurred in 1514, after the siege of the army from Domodossola [34]. The fortress reported serious damage, and the structures were not repaired. Since this moment, the fortress has been subjected to a spontaneous reuse of its structures by the local population. Dry walls appeared inside the fence and outside the north side of the square tower for different agricultural purposes, like the construction of small fences for the beasts. These walls maintained the same characteristics throughout the 17th, 18th and 19th century: irregular stones, with some regular blocks reused from the original materials of the fortress, without any mortar for in the joints (Figure 8i).

Although the Borromeo family maintained their hegemony over the territories surrounding Lake Maggiore, including Arona and Angera, and the Ossola Valley with Vogogna and Domodossola, after the fall of the Duchy of Milan and the arrival of foreign powers, their defensive system was reorganized during a relatively peaceful period, first under the Spanish crown and later under Austrian rule, which ensured the end of hostilities in the area [39]. Moreover, the fragmentation of the territory in small feuds under the influence of some families started to be limited with the Spanish and the Austrian dominations in the 17th and 18th century. In this period, several medieval defensive towers and fortresses were abandoned or converted into new uses.

The Austrian government, in the 18th century, introduced the new cadaster in Lombardy, based on the geometrical survey of the fields and the built areas of the cities, to rule taxation into their domains [40]. Vogogna, at that time part of the so-called Austrian Lombardy, was surveyed for the creation of the land registry maps. Its territory was divided into numbered cadastral parcels, associated with registries containing a short description of the area, the name of the owner, the name of the tenant farmer, the products of the field and the use of eventual buildings. These archive documents were used to check the use of the territory outside the center of Vogogna, focusing on the areas surrounding the fortress. The results of the analysis are graphically reported in Figure 9, showing the classification of the uses of the land in 1722. The fields between the Toce river and the nucleus of the town were cultivated by meadows, moors and and vineyards. The areas around the hamlets, Genestredo and Dresio, hosted the oak and chestnut forest. The archive documents did not provide information for the area of the fortress: the lack of descriptions for the fortress and the surrounding forest indicates that this area was not used as a rural resource at that time.

In 1743, Vogogna and the Ossola Valley passed under the administration of the Savoy Duchy, guided by the dynasty that will complete the unification of Italy in the 19th century. Thanks to the support provided by the army headed by the House of Savoy, the Habsburg Empire could maintain its domain in the State of Milan and, as a sign of gratitude, some portions of Lombardy were granted to Piedmont. Thus, in the second half of the 19th century, Vogogna was no longer present in the new Lombard cadaster map, but in the so-called Rabbini Cadastre, set for Piedmont territory. The goal of the new survey was to identify real estate property, measure individual plots of land, and provide details on ownership, quality and land use. In this case, the areas around the abandoned fortress are recorded. The analysis of the cadaster map (Figure 10) with the indications reported in the archive registers indicates a large use of the fields as vineyards organized on terraces. The areas for meadows and moors are reduced, but some fields close to the fortress maintain this vocation. The land registry map reports the position of the fortress that appears connected to the rural use of this part of the territory. The fortress (parcel number 3090) is listed as property of the Municipality of Vogogna, without any specific role being attributed to it. However, the cultivated terraces located around it suggest that it was used as a warehouse or animal enclosure.

The south and the west sides of the fortress are nowadays characterized by a system of terraces that is more connected to an agricultural exploitation of the land, rather than military use. According to the stratigraphic analysis [34], the visible walls into the fence of the fortress correspond to recent partitions constructed for rural purposes. Those structures, on the previous settlements, could drive to a wrong interpretation of the organization of the original spaces under the square tower, but they reveal the continuous relationship between the inhabitants of Genestredo and Vogogna with the building.

4.3. Analysis of Materials and Decays to Set the Conservation Procedures for the Fortress

Based on the geometrical survey, detailed analysis of the materials and their conservation conditions has been developed. The main problem of this underused site is the constant interactions with the surrounding natural environment. Without the periodical maintenance guaranteed by the municipality of Vogogna, owner of the fortress, superior plants would colonize any surface of the building. The administration engaged professional gardeners to clean the vertical walls from climbing plants and weeds, and to regularize the grass of the various embankments into their fences, allowing us to carry out a detailed survey of the different materials and the mapping of the decays.

The resulting maps are organized with colored legends and codes. The example reported in Figure 10, referring only to the north side of the square tower, provides the map of the materials, based on a colored legend, showing the predominance of “gneiss”, a metamorphic rock diffused in Ossala Valley [21]. The case of the tower offers the chance to recognize different materials corresponding to the main historical faces of the evolution of the complex. Thus, different masonry patterns, like well-shaped white and gray “beola” stones (a local gneiss), can be referred to as the addition constructed on the first stage of the tower. The masonry pattern at the base, characterized by lime-based mortar joints, corresponds to the addition of the buttresses between the 15th and 16th century. These components constitute the so-called material culture the historical building is formed by. The typologies of the stones, the differences in the ways they were shaped and worked out, as well as the constructive organization of the masonry sections, are all traces of building knowledge that required preservation. Thus, the analysis of the materials is followed by the observation of the conservation conditions of the recognized material components to detect which are the diffused pathologies compromising the conservation of the building.

Figure 11 also offers the example of the decay mapping of the north side of the square tower, represented by open hatches, with the corresponding conservative interventions, indicated by codes. The main decay is referred to as the pulverization of the mortar joints. Biological colonization and scaling are the other common decays observed on the stone materials. This result also represents the other walls of the fortress. For its conservation, the main actions can be divided into three phases: cleaning, sealing and protection. The cleaning phase is intended as mechanical actions on common stone surfaces (not artistically workout), and by chemical solutions to remove the deposits through dedicated compress. The invasive vegetation must be removed through a combination of biocide products and the mechanical cut and removal of the dead roots. For some stone typologies, like sandstones, scaling and cracks require repairing based on reinforcing mixtures (for example, ethyl-silicate) applied on the surface to be absorbed into the material. This solution will also guarantee protection from water. Some limited substitutions of the stone materials, due to deep cracks, must be considered: the scuci–cuci technique guarantees a tailor-made solution for reinforcing the structural components of the walls. These structures present a general lack of mortar joints and thus, a repointing carried out with lime-based mortar is included in the restoration measures. The use of water-repellent protection, through a dedicated mixture not permeable to water, but permeable to vapor, can guarantee, if regularly renovated, the durability of the mentioned interventions.

The above-listed measures are derived from the common practices matured in the conservation field of historical stone architecture [42,43]. The aim is to arrest, or at least to slow down, the worsening process which can limit or forbid the correct perception of the architectural work, including the recognition of its material components and the interpretation of the signs left by history: from technological solutions, to the injuries caused by war events, up to the reuse of materials for new uses of the artifact.

The definition of the intervention is also a fundamental step for the further actions addressed to the preservation of the building: the preventive and planned conservation plan. The procedures listed above for the restoration process are a valid step to identify the sources of the decays (moisture presence, biological attacks, etc.) to pave the path to a constant care of the building and its components through the definition of good practices. They constitute a strategy to limit the outbreak of those factors (like water infiltrations, or mechanical stresses) that, without any contrast, could bring back the preserved building to a decayed condition. This conservation plan includes the good practices matured by the interventions set for the restoration and repairing of the surfaces. In the case of the ruined fortress, the preventive and planned conservation encompasses constant cleaning of the access paths to the building, seasonal cut of weeds and mowing of the grass, as fundamental measures to prevent additional alterations and decays.

5. Discussion on the Valorization Principles for the Reuse Design of the Fortress

The various steps of the conservation process are useful to develop a deep knowledge of the building from a historical and technological point of view. The challenging goal of the preservation plan is the activation of that wealth of knowledge developed during the analysis of the different aspects of the building. This is a way to share knowledge, from the historical facts concerning this fortification, to the constructive solutions expressed by the local building culture in different periods of time. The involvement of visitors and members of the local community is considered the key point for guaranteeing a virtuous relationship with the building and the requirements for maintaining its structures in an efficient condition [44], preserving its material components, recognizing eventual decays before their degeneration, providing the continuous fruition of its spaces and the chance to interpretate tangible and intangible significance from its physical parts.

Until now, the fortress was a ruin belonging to the archeological path set into the borders of the natural park Val Grande. In detail, from the hamlet of Genestredo, a pedestrian path takes the visitors to the fortress, surrounded by the forest, accessible from an arched opening into the north wall. The entire area shows the deep relationship between the inhabitants and the landscape, characterized by several dry walls as many terraces along the footway. Left in a misused condition, without any surveillance, the fortress appears along the lane as a suggestive memory of the past, like a romantic trace of the Middle Ages, now colonized by nature. For the visitors, its attractivity is more an esthetic experience than a dive into the past of this location. A deeper connection to the building can be established, improving the accessibility to the site and safe areas into its fence. In this way, visitors can be given the chance to explore deeper significance by observing the various spaces of the complex and interpreting its articulated stratifications. This condition is close to the idea of ruin discussed by Simmel [45] and Benjamin [46], based on the esthetics of the sublime, intended as melancholy derived from the vision of nature appropriating man’s work and reducing it to ruin. The topic of ruins belonging to medieval castles has been considered by several authors in Europe with the diffusion of the adaptive reuse design [47].

In Italy, the adaptation designed by Werner Tscholl for the Firmiano Castle [48] is a milestone for this design approach and the idea that valorization of existing buildings can be obtained by integrations and the addition of functions and services [49], as a balance between conservation of the past with contemporary needs [50]. This trend characterizes similar solutions on medieval castles in other European regions [51], as stated by communitarian researchers on the reuse of ruins [52]. Ruins can be used as simple site museums, like in the Castle of Urquhart in Scotland [53], becoming part of stage performances, using the large areas into their fortified fence, or museums articulated in various exposition spaces with areas for touristic services. In this last case, the reuse design can present an adaptive approach, due to the modifications required for the setting up of the new functions. Despite the different scale compared to the Vogogna case, the three castles in Bellinzona constitute an interesting term of comparison between the Ossola fortress and the possible solutions for its reuse. As observed in the historical analysis of Vogogna, the Visconti family and later the Sforza Family implemented the fortifications of Bellinzona, part of the Duchy of Milan until 1499, when the Helvetic coalition defeated the army from Milan. The lower fortress, Castelgrande, houses the museum of the history of the town. Here, the reuse design curated by Aurelio Galfetti [54] introduced important strategic services for the visitors into hidden and partially underground areas of the complex, remodeling the public space into the fence as an urban park to reconnect the isolated defensive building to the rest of the town. The exhibited contrast between the modern interventions and the historical architecture is evocative of the famous post-war intervention conducted by Carlo Scarpa at the Castelvecchio museum in Verona [55]. The transformations are less exhibited, even if recognizable, in the other two castles in Bellinzona: the Montebello Castle, smaller than the first, with its archeological museum housed in the surviving buildings of the complex, and the Sasso Corbaro Castle, museum of itself. These last two castles underwent some transformations due to the introduction of the new functions, but in these cases, the adaptive design follows a coevolutionary approach, a way to address the focus on the dynamic relationships between the historical building and the contemporary reality.

The difference between adaptive reuse and coevolution was recently analyzed by Della Torre [56], emphasizing the dynamic interplay between buildings and their social and environmental contexts, shifting the conservation of the built heritage from a static approach to the process of managing change. The cultural value of architecture, such as historical, esthetic and social significance, is not crystallized in time but evolves along with social changes. Coevolution requires the continuous re-evaluation of these values during the preparation and application of the protection process. Coevolution emphasizes the participation of stakeholders, such as communities and experts, to achieve the social and economic sustainability of the costs required by conservation practices through collaboration empowerment. To this purpose, the valorization design of the fortress in Vogogna was founded on the community involvement through the implantation of the accessibility to the archeological site. A similar project can be observed in the Liguria region, where the ruins of the Dolceacqua Castle were restored and valorized through the implementation of pathways to improve the accessibility of the site for residents and tourists [57]. To allow people with mobility difficulties to visit the site, which is divided into several levels by steep flights of stairs, the designers introduced new ramps and stairs, in Corten steel, equipped with stairlifts. The intervention is placed-based and attributes to the community engagement the key role for maintaining continuous attention on the historic building by frequent site visits, to allow the development of citizen-driven organizations (simple volunteers or public associations) involved in the control of the state of conservation of the ruins and in verifying the appropriate use of their spaces. This idea of an upgrading project based on the necessary transformations and integrations for assuring universal accessibility to cultural sites is also proposed for the analysis of the Pescopagano Castle (Potenza Province) in South Italy [58]. In this case, presenting some similarities with the fortress in Vogogna, the relationship between the ruins on an unreachable hill and the community of the city below are put together again through an inclined lift. According to these examples, the proposal for the valorization of the fortress in Vogogna considered the setting of a footpath to access the archeological site.

To access inside the fence, the visitors must leave the path in the woods and walk on a rock-bed lane. It is not safe due to the presence of stone surfaces with different inclinations, and the passage is also close to a slope along the west side of the promontory. A solution to extend the accessibility for all into a natural park is hard to find, but in Europe there are some experiences showing possible alternatives. According to the site’s topography, electric shuttle services or lift systems are used to ensure accessibility for visitors with disabilities in these protected areas. In the case of the upper castle of Vogogna, the proposal for valorizing the archeological site can include a strategic cultural path from the center of the town to the upper hamlet of Genestredo, with its characteristic vernacular architecture, to the fortress (Figure 12). To this purpose, the design proposal includes a dedicated route to explore the fortress from a disappeared pathway, developed around the walls of the building, from the lower terraces to the top. This hypothesis was supported by the design of a footway composed of ramps and stairs to facilitate access to the fortress. This solution cannot match the requirements of complete accessibility for all [59], but it goes in the direction of a constant community involvement to give life to the site and maintain constant control over it. Thus, a system of stairlifts was proposed to guarantee the inclusion of subjects with limited walking capacity.

The archeological site can be accessed from two directions. The old path, originating from Vogogna Castle and leading to the foot of the fortress on the western slope, could be reopened. This way, currently obscured by vegetation, features a long-distance external stair lift to facilitate access for those with mobility impairments. This solution not only facilitates access for people with disabilities but also creates a direct connection between the castle and the fortress, faster than the existing path from Genestredo, enriching the tourist offering with the creation of a circular circuit. The other entry is from the hamlet of Genestredo, easily accessible by car. From there, a path leads directly to the fortress. At the end of this path, a footbridge provides a connection to the main entrance, avoiding the winding and dangerous existing path (but maintaining its layout).

The reuse design is founded on the assumption that the consolidated image of the ruined castle should be preserved, with the mass of the square tower still recognizable and a few crenelated structures barely drafted because of war devastation and long abandonment. The ramps of the footway are integrated with the stones of the fortress by using the aesthetical properties of Corten steel plates (Figure 13). The walkways, constructed with a steel load-bearing structure complete with Corten steel railings and a walking surface made of non-slip composite wood planks, features expanded Corten steel sheeting underneath to cover the void below (Figure 14). This sheet follows the slope of the land, visually recalling the typical stepped structures of terraced landscapes. The new path is connected by stairs integrated with the existing levels of the terraces, leading to the initial level of the walkway on the west elevation.

Inside the fence of the fortress, the embarkments are leveled to host safe draining funds. The aim is to improve the accessibility to the ruin for public use of the internal area of the fortress to improve the direct contact of the visitors with the ruins for their contemplative fruition, and to establish new relationships based on the contemporary context: art performances, sport activities, etc.

Among the various public events that could be organized inside the ruined fortress, the authors focused on a sport discipline that has taken hold in the area in recent years. The design of the spaces contemplates the possible transformation of the site into an outdoor climbing gym, exploiting the sturdy walls of the fortress as rock faces. Minimum climbing heights are respected in selecting suitable climbing walls. Recent initiatives promoted by sport associations took place on the medieval walls of the lower fortress of Vogogna, the Visconteo castle (Figure 15). In this area, surrounded by mountains, trekking, canyoning and climbing are diffused in local communities. The proposal for assigning the function of a climbing training area to the fortress matured during a direct confrontation with some exponents of the public institutions of Vogogna, attributing a positive spillover effect to the climbing competition organized on the Visconteo Castle. Furthermore, suitable areas are selected for three different types of climbing. Among the various disciplines, bouldering, top rope and lead climbing are easily adaptable to the project, and each has its own specific characteristics and requirements (Figure 16).

Bouldering is a form of climbing practiced on rocks or walls without the use of safety ropes. Climbers tackle sequences of technical moves in short routes. The lack of heavy equipment, requiring only a pair of climbing shoes and a specific mat placed on a flat surface to prevent falls, makes it accessible to a wide audience and a very popular discipline in urban parks and natural areas.

Top-roping involves climbing with an anchor placed at the top of a wall, through which a rope is passed, connected to the climber and secured to a partner on the ground. This system offers a high level of safety, making it ideal for beginners and those who want to enjoy climbing without excessive exposure to risk. A set of equipment is required, including ropes, carabiners and a harness, as well as a large surface at the base so that the climber can support the partner.

Lead climbing, on the other hand, requires the climber to carry the rope while climbing. It is a more advanced discipline, requiring greater technical skill and concentration. The climber secures the climb by regularly attaching the rope to anchor points, called “quickdraws,” located on the wall. This form of climbing requires more thorough preparation and more advanced equipment, including a dynamic rope, carabiners, quickdraws and harness. In this discipline, large surfaces at the starting point are not required.

Outdoor climbing walls, especially in picturesque locations, can attract adventurous tourists and nature lovers, contributing to the local economy. However, it is crucial to carefully manage the environmental impact of climbing. Excessive and unregulated access in the absence of a plan can cause damage to the stone walls, compromising the appropriate use of the ruins. It is essential to implement sustainable practices in the management of climbing areas to preserve the integrity of the sites.

Although these kinds of sport happenings could give the idea of an inappropriate use of the heritage, the combination between sport activities and cultural tourism can match the requirements for a valorization plan of the archeological site. For this work, some striking images have been chosen to incisively represent a specific idea of the use of the fortified structures still present. Such events are concentrated in a few appointments throughout the year, and only few experts have the ability, and consequently can obtain permission, to climb medieval towers to the top. The risk, for such sportive events, is that the historical building remains a sort of pleasant background in pictures and videos used by media creators. Thus, it should be remarked that one of the goals of this sport category is to introduce younger people to mountain climbing activities. Among the various categories available for participants, the one reserved for younger athletes is among the largest. Children and teenagers, supported by parents and older friends, can become familiar with the sport, while also experimenting with play while testing their limits. Beyond the recreational and sporting component, in a setting like the Vogogna fortress, young people can be educated about heritage to gain insight into a lost medieval world, and to experience firsthand the physical substance of its structures. In other words, these activities teach healthy living and the discovery of heritage, with the hope of developing an awareness of the historical values to which a given community belongs, and to see a growing respect and desire to protect and care for such places.

6. Conclusions

The authors showed an integrated approach to analyze an archeological complex and set the conservation process, from restoration practices to valorization strategies. The work was based on the integration of different lines of research concerning the historical evolution of the building, its geometry, material components, and the conservation state of its main structures, in order to deepen the understanding of the monument. The limitations imposed by the hard accessibility of the site were overpassed using an advanced survey, combining topographic assessment with laser scanning and photogrammetry. The result revealed several details of the fortress that were previously only drafted, like the precise organization of the terraces in the surrounding areas and the complex distribution of the spaces formed by the fence and the dry walls of the internal parts of the ruins.

The advanced survey allowed us to represent the altimetric organization of the fortress, reproducing vertical prospects and sections and the displacement of the land, with artificial terraces and embarkments contained by dry walls. The geometrical analysis was used to integrate the fundamental historical steps of the evolution of the fortress. The survey constituted a base for the analysis of the stratigraphic settlements of the building, the identification of materials, and their alterations and decays to quantify the main stones used for the masonry technology and the extension of the areas presenting specific pathologies and conservation issues.

The development of a 3D geometrical model of the fortress constituted important support for the setting of the upgrading proposal for the fortress. Comparing other similar cases, different experts observed that the reuse of ruins can match the requirements for a dynamic coevolutionary adaptation through the implementation of the site accessibility. The proposal for a long footway in Corten steel implemented by stairlifts here presented could appear as mere academic speculation, but this kind of solution was proposed and implemented for other valorization projects, presenting some points in common with the fortress of Vogogna. The strategy consists of reactivating interest in an underused building, situated in a position that is not easy to reach, and presenting some risks in its internal accessibility. Limiting its condition to a sort of static background along the walkway from Vogogna to its upper hamlet, Genestredo, would not improve people’s engagement towards the building and its role in the natural park. Thus, the possibility of extending the touristic offer to sports activities, such as climbing services, directly connected to the massive walls of the fortress, could bring new attention to this ruin, its significance and its preservation.

The proposed workflow shows the relationship between local communities and cultural assets. The case study, a ruined fortress, can activate very specific knowledge paths through the conservation process described in this work. The study included a picture of the town, its economic and social conditions, to identify the potentialities represented by the historical center and the peculiar cultural landscape present here. Among the various historical buildings, the fortress could provide a strategic solution for reviving social and cultural activities in this area. The model proposed here was set on the peculiar characteristics of Vogogna and its archeological settlement, deeply connected to the natural environment, but the applied methodology represents a reliable approach that could be used for other underused sites. Moreover, the proposed advanced survey provides an innovative digital tool that can be implemented for future preventive planned conservation design to support the management of the archeological settlement and its constant care.