Bringing to light unique archaeological finds such as ceramic, lithic and bronze materials or the oldest artifacts of Sardinian and Nuragic archeology is not only the work of those who work in the excavations, because to show off these beauties in their full authenticity, the work of the restorer. Before arriving in the windows of exhibitions throughout Sardinia, in fact, every single find passes into the skilled hands of experts who preserve every original feature, bringing it back to its maximum splendour. An art that must be done after years of study in contact with teachers and Superintendencies operators.
In Southern Sardinia, in Barumini, there is precisely this place: the School of Restoration. It is a unique reality in Sardinia, a stone's throw from important archaeological sites such as the Unesco site of Su Nuraxi, but also Casa Zapata which makes this school even more important.
The opportunity for a course at the Barumini School arose in August 2021 when, with a resolution, the Municipality had granted, on loan for use and free of charge, precisely to the Superintendence of Archaeology, fine arts and landscape for the metropolitan city of Cagliari and the provinces of Oristano and South Sardinia, the use of the premises of the School of Restoration and Archaeological Excavation of Barumini. The initiative had made it possible to carry out a process of cooperation between the institutions, with the aim of strengthening the work within the school's restoration laboratory equipped with machinery and equipment suitable for the preservation, conservation and protection of the historical, artistic and architectural.
The premises had been completely renovated thanks to the Barumini Sistema Cultura Foundation which continues to allow, in close synergy with the Superintendence, to recover and restore the finds without interrupting the chain that goes from excavation to use by the community.
But the school has an even more important value if one thinks of the higher education that young people and archeology enthusiasts can receive who have the opportunity to pursue their lifelong passion and find a job in a sector that is always on the lookout of specialized operators.
Hence the need to have a project like this which aims to make the laboratory a point of reference for all of Southern Sardinia and not just for the Barumini area, to use the words of Emanuele Lilliu, president of the Barumini foundation culture system during one of the events organized in 2022 "Restauri Aperti", the day dedicated to making the secrets of archaeological restoration known to young and old.
The relaunch of the restoration laboratory has made it possible to strengthen the close synergy between the Barumini Foundation and the Superintendence with the future goal of ensuring that the laboratory can become a school to continue carrying out the work of enhancing and protecting the cultural heritage together with the communities established not only in Barumini but throughout the surrounding area.
For info: http://www.fondazionebarumini.it