Accessibility and conservation in the restoration of the ducal apartment of Palazzo Gonzaga in Guastalla
Sergio Bettini's article "Accessibility and Conservation. The Ducal Apartment of Palazzo Gonzaga in Guastalla," dedicated to the recently completed restoration project at the Ducal Palace in Guastalla, has been published in the latest issue of the magazine Recupero e Conservazione.
This article retraces the project that definitively resolved the issue of universal accessibility to the museum floor through the construction of a new elevator and the restoration of the rooms historically belonging to the ducal apartment, now used for temporary exhibitions.
The article delves into the historical and archival research that has allowed us to reconstruct the apartment's original configuration, the transformations it underwent between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and the design choices adopted to address a highly stratified situation, characterized by the loss of historic vaults, the disappearance of valuable decorative surfaces, and the presence of significant structural alterations.
Particular attention is paid to the proposal for the ephemeral reconstruction of the ancient vaults using tensioned fabric systems, conceived as a lightweight and reversible tool to restore an understanding of the historical space without resorting to mimetic reconstructions.
The project, promoted by the Municipality of Guastalla and funded by the Emilia-Romagna Region, represents an example of integrating conservation, accessibility, system upgrades, and cultural heritage enhancement.
We thank director Chiara Falcini and the editorial staff of Recupero e Conservazione for their attention to the project.

Link to the article: https://www.recmagazine.it/dettaglio-articolo/2091