From the management plan to a protection management system of mosaic decorations in ‘Arab-Norman Palermo and the cathedral churches of Cefalù and Monreale’ itinerary

The rich Arab - Norman architectural heritage of Palermo is, in its manifestation of different forms of art, an exceptional and unique result of a cultural syncretism. It describes the city as a privileged gathering place of the West Christian culture with the Eastern Byzantine Empire and the Islamic world in the twelfth century. The serial nomination of the ‘Arabic - Norman itinerary of Palermo’ includes monuments holding inside a unique mosaic wall and pavement decoration as one of the major artistic features of its outstanding value. Starting from the ‘Management Plan’ presented in December 2011 for the nomination in the World Heritage List of UNESCO, the present contribution reflects about the opportunity to include issues related to the preventive conservation management of mosaic decoration within the strategies of management plan or to relegate this topic exclusively into a specific conservation plan. Through a comparison study with other Word Heritage Sites from Sicily and from the international context, the paper investigates the opportunity of an interaction between the management plan and the actions for protection and maintenance of the heritage material essence. The case study of the Arab - Norman itinerary as complex ensemble of sites seems to ask for the management of a coordinated and integrated system of protection of this exceptional and fragile decorative technology that goes beyond the occasional event of a massive restoration site.