Storia della Torre di San Giovanni Battista o Torre Scola vicino a Porto Venere, SP (Italia) e applicazione delle nuove tecnologie di rilevamento per la restituzione 3D e lo studio architettonico

Abstract

[EN] The tower of St. John the Baptist, known as the Scola Tower, is a small fortification with a pentagonal plan, surrounded by the sea, built by the Republic of Genoa in 1606, above a rock (Scola in the local dialect), to defend the entrance of the Gulf of La Spezia, near the island of Palmaria in Porto Venere. In 1800 it was partially destroyed by gunfire from the British fleet, which penetrated the gulf, and after that it was abandoned. When its demolition was averted in 1915 (established by the Marina Militare), given its historical interest, it was decided to convert the tower to the function of a signal lighthouse. Between 1976 and 1980 the structure received radical restoration and consolidation of the perimeter walls. Of this turret on the water, some historical plans and photographs exist, but today thanks to modern surveying techniques, such as aerial photogrammetry with drones, it has been possible to accurately scan the structure despite the inaccessibility of its location. With this survey, it was possible to process a perfect digital twin of the building, which even made it possible to make scale replicas, thanks to 3D printing. Replicas that can be a very useful source of study or beautiful souvenirs. Also, thanks to the latest frontiers of technology, such as artificial intelligence, it has been possible to increase the quality of historical photographs. This as fascinating as it is melancholy isolated turret in the middle of the sea is becoming more and more famous and well known thanks to social networks and photos taken with drones, and it is poised to become a new destination and new symbol of tourism in Liguria.