Indoor Microclimate and Conservation Issues of the Medicean Villa La Petraia. A Preliminary Assessment

This research reports the indoor microclimate conditions experienced in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Medicean Villa La Petraia in Florence (Italy). The study aims at verifying if the current microclimatic conditions of Villa La Petraia can guarantee the conservation of the works of art guarded inside the building. To this aim, the research has been supported by a detailed bibliographic knowledge of the historical evolutions of the building (managerial, usage and architectural changes over the years) and an indoor microclimate monitoring campaign. Indeed, this research is articulated as follows: a) architectural surveys and archival research; b) indoor monitoring campaign of air temperature and relative humidity in three rooms of the investigated historical building; c) analysis and discussion of monitored data. In particular, this paper focuses on some relevant aspects of the research methodology adopted, such as the monitoring system applied, the choice of probes location, and the interpretation of results. From this study it emerged that the awareness of building historical evolutions and its indoor microclimate represent the foundation for taking informed decisions about the preventive conservation of Cultural Heritage.