Carbonate lithotypes employed in historical monuments: quarry materials, deterioration and restoration treatment

Conservation of monuments is a cultural, artistic and technical activity based on humanistic and scientific knowledge. In recent years, the general deterioration of Italian cultural heritage has led to the development of the conservation science of monuments, which falls within the application of scientific methods to the study of stone materials. The aim of conservation science is to prolong the life of cultural heritage artefacts, and this goal is reached by reinforcing, through applied research, the preservation, conservation and restoration of monuments in order to enhance their value. In the study of stone materials used in monuments, the main fields of research concern the characterization of original and quarry materials, the investigations on the causes and mechanisms of deterioration and the evaluation of restoration products. The present work is an example of the conservation science of monuments applied to the study of various aspects of carbonate lithotypes often used in the Veneto Region (North East of Italy) for their aesthetic qualities and easy of working: the main ones used are the so-called "soft stone" of the Berici Hills or "Vicenza Stones" and the "Rosso Ammonitico Veronese".