History, Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage

Dear Colleagues,

In a historical moment shaped by profound transformations on an environmental and socio-cultural scale, the long-term preservation, accessibility and relevance of our shared cultural heritage needs to be re-considered by integrating scientific research with the principles of sustainable development.

The international scenario emphasizes how technological and scientific research and sustainable development can provide essential frameworks and strategies for conservation; promote economic, social and environmental benefits; and ensure the integration of cultural heritage into sustainable urban and tourism development. Scientific research endows us with the knowledge and tools necessary to understand, analyze, preserve and document cultural heritage effectively. The integration between research and sustainable development can, thus, led to the establishment of innovative framework and principles to ensure that the management and use of cultural heritage are environmentally sound, economically viable, socially equitable and contribute to the well-being of present and future generations.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to the Special Issue “History, Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage”, featuring new achievements within Recovery and Resiliency Plan Italian project CHANGES—CULTURAL HERITAGE ACTIVE INNOVATION FOR NEXT-GEN SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY (funded by the European Union—NextGenerationEU—under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR)—Mission 4 Education and research—Component 2 From research to business—Investment 1.3, Notice D.D. 341 of 15/03/2022, entitled: Cultural Heritage Active Innovation for Sustainable Society proposal code PE0000020—duration until 28.02.2026).

The project aims to establish an international reference center for training, research and technology transfer in the field of culture and cultural heritage. The goal is to enhance the role of cultural heritage, promoting new sustainable approaches for protection and enjoyment, creating stable partnerships between research and business and offering employment opportunities in the field.

Based on a hub (in this case, the Fondazione Changes) and spokes system (nine in this case), the main objective of CHANGES was to achieve a synergy between the humanities and sciences (in the strict sense), with the aim of increasing the attractiveness of the Italian cultural heritage system through the creation of expertise in all aspects of cultural heritage (knowledge, diagnostics, restoration, monitoring, economics, dissemination, etc.) and to establish public–private synergies with the construction of a supply chain between research centres and private entities, stimulating the relationship with private companies, through cascade call initiatives. Spoke number 6 (‘History, conservation and restoration of cultural heritage’) was led by the University of Catania, co-led by the Central Institute for Restoration, and involved seven other institutions as partners: the Universities of Bologna, Milan, Naples, Turin, Suor Orsola Benincasa, the Officina delle Pietre Dure, and the Fondazione 1563.

In particular, this Special Issue is aimed at fostering the results and achievements of a group of researchers belonging to Spoke 6—History, Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, whose aims are the development of integrated methodologies for the historical understanding, the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage and promoting a multidisciplinary approach involving humanistic, archeological, scientific and technological research.

In line with the journal’s scopes, this Special Issue aims to stimulate reflections on the role of cultural heritage as a driver of sustainable economic development through knowledge transfer and capacity building, rooted into research processes strongly oriented towards transdisciplinarity. Emphasis will be given to the discussion of integrated innovative approaches and best practices in the management, preservation and conservation of cultural heritage, ensuring its continued relevance and transmission across generations.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Understanding and Conservation: Scientific research, often termed “heritage science”, provides crucial insights into the materials, techniques and environmental factors that affect cultural heritage (tangible and intangible).
• Innovation in Conservation Materials and Techniques: Scientific research drives the development of new and improved materials and techniques for conservation, ensuring the long-term preservation of cultural heritage.
• Monitoring and Risk Assessment: Scientific research helps monitor the condition of cultural heritage sites and objects, identify potential risks (e.g., pollution, climate change, biological threats) and develop preventative measures.
• Digital Documentation and Interpretation: Scientific methods, including 3D scanning and virtual reality, enable the accurate digital documentation of cultural heritage, facilitating wider access and research and engaging public interpretation.
• Understanding Degradation Mechanisms: Scientific investigation helps identify the causes and mechanisms of deterioration in various materials, allowing for targeted conservation efforts.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Mariangela Vandini
Dr. Sara Fiorentino
Prof. Dr. Pietro Maria Militello
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Heritage is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Publisher’s Notice

As stated above, the central purpose of this Special Issue (SI) is to present research from “CHANGES—CULTURAL HERITAGE ACTIVE INNOVATION FOR NEXT-GEN SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY”. With this goal in mind, the Guest Editors’ contribution to this Special Issue may be greater than standard Special Issues published by MDPI. Further details on MDPI's Special Issue guidelines can be found via the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/special_issues_guidelines. Heritage’s Editorial Office and Editor-in-Chief have approved this, and MDPI’s standard manuscript editorial processing procedure (https://www.mdpi.com/editorial_process) will be applied to all submissions. As per this procedure, Guest Editors are excluded from participating in the editorial process for their submission and/or for submissions from persons with whom a potential conflict of interest may exist. More details on MDPI’s conflict of interest policy for reviewers and editors can be found at https://www.mdpi.com/ethics#_bookmark22.