De RE Virtual RES. The Virtual Reconstruction of Rocca Janula in Cassino for a Meaningful “Reading” of the Historical Stratification

The restoration project, according to the Italian ministerial guidelines, gives the photographic campaign a truly significant importance. The photos, which capture the state of things, before, during and after the restoration, have the task of transmitting correct historical information to the observer. For this reason, the ministerial indications suggest affixing the photos inside the restored site with the aim of highlighting above all those parts added to complete the architectural gaps. When this procedure is not performed and when the restoration does not meet the criteria of distinguishability and reversibility, it is necessary to carry out a reverse operation to the photographic campaign. Starting from historical documentary and iconographic sources, it is necessary to create virtual models such as to provide the observer with the correct historical information. At this point the images play a fundamental role. The aim of the work is to define different levels of virtual models based on the accuracy of the acquired historical source. Simplified and monochromatic models, for example, serve to tell what cannot be documented. These models, in fact, are abstracted from reality to the point of transferring to the observer the perception that the virtual reconstruction is hypothetical. More complex and photorealistic models, obtained with the latest digital technologies, virtualize the real object that is perceived by the observer as objective. The methodology presented, and based on different levels of digital models, was applied to the Rocca Janula di Cassino case study, with the aim of clearly and unequivocally communicating the main historical phases that characterize its current state.