Jewish Cemetery of Valdirose
Jewish Cemetery of Valdirose
THE PROJECT
Photo of The Center for Jewish Art, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
HISTORICAL RESEARCH
Archival research aims to gather the relevant indirect sources of the site’s history, from its establishment and/or foundation to the present. Information on burials is key in identifying the number of gravestones since many are buried, dating and the families they belong to. Research will also focus on the documents about the construction of the site, its establishment in general and the construction of architectural artefacts. Burial registries will be collected as any graphic evidence, searching both Municipal & National Archives (archivi di stato e comunali) and the Jewish Community Archive. Once the material has been identified, it will be digitalised and inventoried as compiling a register of the main events.
METHODS: A PREMISE
Our previous project in restoring Florence’s Jewish Cemetery in Via Ariosto by the Opera del Tempio ebraico (Charity of the Jewish Temple in Florence) was used to estimate costs for the project and restoration of the Valdirose cemetery and gravestones.
In fact the Florence contract proved better and more manageable than many traditional ones: steps were as described below:
A. Teaching site of the School for Restoration with researchers, students and young people. The area was divided into sectors and each researcher was assisted by two tutors (restorer-crafts person and a construction company) and by a technical coordinator;
B. During the first s tage each sector completed the dig by hand or using small tools to investigate and identify buried gravestones covered by soil and plants, and
C. Teaching site for the various steps of the restoration: cleaning, gluing or bonding, plastering, reinforcement and protection.
FINAL PROJECT & DESIGN
1. Historical report by period of use and burials of famous people;
2. Description of the current state and aims of the project;
3. Technical Report (TR), drafted on the basis of the preliminary stages, surveys and research completed;
4. Positioning of the sites and comprehensive ground survey;
5. General survey on the state of deterioration drafted on the basis of the drafted files
6. General description of finds
7. Plan of tour paths
8. Files summarising work to undertake
9. Specifications of specialist work
10. Initial General Bill of Quantities
11. Cost Analysis
12. Guidelines for the Safety Report
13. Timeline
WORKING PLAN
1 Detailing specific types of work;
2 Indentifying specific work to be carried on each gravestone;
3 Estimated bill of quantity
4 Definition of work remit
5 Locating and positioning unidentified finds