La Carta di Venezia alla prova del tempo: quale attualità per la conservazione del patrimonio dissonante? Riflessioni a partire dalle architetture fortificate

This paper reflects on the relevance of the Venice Charter for the restoration of monuments and sites, sixty years after its drafting in 1964. The aim is to examine its impact on our current critical context and the validity of its principles in guiding strategies for the conservation of our Dissonant Heritage. Fortified architecture serves as a means of veri-fying the discourse. The author traces the conservative trigger that the Charter produced in the 1960s in favour of defensive legacies, thanks mainly to Piero Gazzola’s contribution, and goes on to discuss the Carter effectiveness in managing dissonance as a new form of heritage risk. Dissonance often affects military structures, resulting in their abandonment, damage or demolition. This is because they are directly connected to the war and remain as symbols of trauma or oppression, witnesses to difficult memories, and potentially divisive elements. Methodologically, the paper refers to international recommendations and instructions on heritage conservation that preceded and fol-lowed the Venice Charter, and assumes fortifications as a paradigm for broader reflections.