The Palazzo ex INCIS stands in the middle of Matera’s historic centre, on Piazza Roma. It is not one building but two, and both are listed, protected as evidence of public building in the city during the Fascist ventennio.
The initials belong to the Istituto Nazionale per le Case degli Impiegati Statali, the national body that built housing and let it to state employees. That programme is the reason the complex exists, and it explains its character: apartment blocks put up by a public institution for public servants, given a civic front rather than a domestic one.
What the facades carry
The elevations are articulated with pilasters, lesenes and sculpted detail under projecting cornices. Decades without maintenance had taken their toll: material was coming away from the facades in quantity, and the loose stucco and stone made restoration a matter of safety as much as appearance.
The 2013–2015 restoration
Between 2013 and 2015 the architects Ubaldo Occhinegro and Micaela Pignatelli restored the facades, the cornices and the finer architectural elements, waterproofed the roofs, and restored all the woodwork and ironwork. The work was confined to the envelope and to what protects it, leaving the interiors as they were.
Details
- What: a complex of two buildings, both listed
- Where: Piazza Roma, historic centre of Matera, Basilicata
- Built for: the Istituto Nazionale per le Case degli Impiegati Statali (INCIS), housing for state employees
- Protection: listed as evidence of public building of the Fascist ventennio in Matera
- Restoration: 2013–2015, architects Ubaldo Occhinegro and Micaela Pignatelli
Frequently asked questions
What does INCIS stand for?
Istituto Nazionale per le Case degli Impiegati Statali, the national institute that built housing to be let to state employees.
Why is the building protected?
Both buildings of the complex are listed as evidence of public building in Matera during the Fascist ventennio.
What did the recent restoration involve?
The facades, cornices and architectural details were restored, the roofs waterproofed and the wooden and iron fixtures repaired, between 2013 and 2015.
