In forme controllate dalla resistenza del tempo. La ricostruzione postbellica della Torre Civica di Faenza

The Civic Tower in Faenza was mined in November 1944, by the German Army in retreat. It was a XVII century masterpiece, probably built up where Francesco Manfredi, first lord of Faenza, built the ancient tower in 1328. It represented the fulcrum on which was based the urban composition of the main square. Therefore the destruction of the tower represented the loss of a cornerstone both for the city and the citizenry and reconstruction seemed to be an unavoidable symbol of rebirth. When the project was assigned to a group of roman architects lead by the professor Vincenzo Fasolo, a first reflection was made upon the context of the monument. Subsequently, they shared the citizens’ idea of reconstruction in its old forms, ‘as it was, where it was’, but they also proposed to improve the structure using a reinforced concrete frame and a more resistant travertine cladding, instead of the previous local sandstone. This choice was totally unacceptable for the citizenry and the superintendent Corrado Capezzuoli immediately stopped the works in order to obtain the use of the ancient material. Even if they started from a different point of view, what comes to light is, therefore, the supremacy of the ‘image of the monument’, being this one able to widely spread values. But what are the reasons for this peculiar perception? Why people, when affected by catastrophic events, calls for a reconstruction of the image even if not authentic? The paper, studying the story of the works and the cultural debate concerning the Tower in Faenza, tries to figure out a possible reason for this approach.