The restoration and care of the tree
Books & authors. “The restoration and care of the tree. Mauro Civita between life and works”, by Rossella de Cadilhac and Lucia Serafini. Presentation at Poliba
21 April 2026
The tree, like memory, is meant to grow. The concentric rings in the trunk, like the stratifications of the built environment, lead through memory to an identity: the fruits. Knowing how to read these traces in order to protect and preserve memory, and the identity that derives from it, is the task of restoration.
On these principles dear to Mauro Civita (1933-2003), architect and professor, a substantial recently published book is based: “The restoration and care of the tree. Mauro Civita between life and works” by two of his students: Rossella de Cadilhac and Lucia Serafini, professors of architectural restoration at the Polytechnic University of Bari and the University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti. Published by Schena Editore in 2025 (568 pages, 42.50 Euro), the book is dedicated to the life and works of Mauro Civita, an important witness to the history of restoration in Italy and worldwide. Together with his teacher, Roberto Pane, Civita shared a concept of research based on respect for stratified material as an essential element in safeguarding cultural heritage, as well as attention to the protection and rehabilitation of historic centers, such as the recovery plans for Molfetta and Bitonto, for cultural continuity between the old and the new.
Civita assigned to the expertise of specialists, and therefore of the school of which he himself was a leading figure, the primary responsibility for the care of the tree, memory, certain that by caring for the tree we would care for ourselves and for the memory of which we can be custodians only on condition of being fully aware of it.
At the Faculty of Architecture in Pescara since 1973. Full professor of Restoration of Monuments in 1990, he moved from the 1995-1996 academic year to the Faculty of Architecture of the Polytechnic University of Bari, where he remained until his death in 2003.
Interest in stratification, at any latitude, has been one of the strengths of Civita’s thought and work. With this approach he managed outstanding projects such as the cathedrals of Ruvo di Puglia, Conversano, Acquaviva delle Fonti, the theatres of Barletta and Lucera, and the restoration experiences of historic centres such as Bari, Molfetta, Bitonto, in Puglia, and Termoli in Molise. Civita was above all a technician who viewed the project as a formidable tool for intervening on the existing fabric and improving its performance, both functional and structural, as well as in terms of construction.
The presentation of the volume “The restoration and care of the tree. Mauro Civita between life and works” curated by Rossella de Cadilhac and Lucia Serafini, will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, 22 April, 9:00 a.m., at the Polytechnic University of Bari, in the Videoconference Room (via Amndola,126/b).
Through academic contributions and testimonies, the presentation will make it possible to explore in depth the relationship between knowledge, design and site work in restoration, highlighting the value of scientific research and practical experience, and providing a complex and current picture of restoration as a critical and responsible practice.
Programme
9:00 a.m. – Opening remarks, Rossella de Cadilhac and Lucia Serafini
Moderator: Giuseppe Berardi – Mauro Civita Association
9:10 a.m. – Institutional greetings
Umberto Fratino – Rector of the Polytechnic University of Bari
Francesco Defilippis – Director of the ArCoD Department
9:30 a.m. – Institutional addresses
Maria Piccarreta – General Directorate for Contemporary Creativity, MiC
Francesca Romana Paolillo – ABAP Superintendent for Bari
Cosimo Damiano Mastronardi – President of the Order of Architects P P C B a r i
9:30 a.m. – Presentation of the volume
Claudio Varagnoli – University of Rome “La Sapienza”
And yet, in that impossible place. The School of Restoration of Pescara
Adriano Ghisetti Giavarina – University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara
Mauro Civita’s scientific activity between research and project
Ignazio Carabellese – Polytechnic University of Bari
The construction site that serves restoration, between knowledge and project
Andrea Pane – University of Naples “Federico II”
Historic centers of Apulia and beyond, between theoretical issues and operational urgencies
11:30 a.m. – Testimonials and contributions
Schena Publisher
Publishing and restoration: transmission and construction of knowledge
Cingoli Nicola & Son s.r.l.
The restoration site: technique, material, and responsibility
Giuliano Volpe – University of Bari “Aldo Moro”
Archaeology and restoration: knowledge and the project of conservation
Francesco Ghiro – Mauro Civita Association
The cultural legacy of Mauro Civita.
The article The restoration and care of the tree comes from Poliba Chronicle.