National Research Council of Italy
Trees and Timber Institute

An international research team, coordinated by the Consorzio Ferrara Ricerche, won the international tender, financed by the Palestinian Authority, on the recovery of the roof of the church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
Within the group Ivalsa takes care of the diagnosis of doors and windows and the wooden structure of roof, and the dendrochronological dating of the elements that make up the wooden structure of the roof.
The other partners of the multidisciplinary team are: the University of Ferrara, the University of Rome "La Sapienza", University of Siena and SCDS Group in Canada.
To conduct the inspections in situ the Ivalsa staff has traveled to Palestine into two periods: 10 to 17 October 2010 to make the diagnosis on the windows and to evaluate the structure of the main roof and 2 to 9 November 2010 evaluation of the structures of the second level of the roof. Reference samples for dendrochronological dating drawn during both the periods, in conjunction with the diagnostic activities.
Ivalsa will then submit the final reports on the detailed basis on which they were performed and the diagnosis should also provide guidelines for the implementation of the restoration and maintenance on the observed wood elements.

staff

Nicola Macchioni (contact person), Mauro Bernabei, Michele Brunetti, Sabrina Palanti, Benedetto Pizzo, Michela Nocetti, Jarno Bontadi, Paolo Burato