Historical and aesthetical values in the conservation of Ninfa site

The paper provides a critical reflection on the conservation of the archaeological site of Ninfa, a mediaeval city abandoned in the XVth century, defined by Gregorovius as “the Pompeii of the Middle Ages”, which Brandi has already dealt with on several occasions. Nowadays the site appears as the epitome of an English garden, in which the ruins (boundary wall, remains of churches, etc.) are located. The garden is today the main attraction for tourists, but its vegetation is also the principal cause of degradation for the archaeological ruins.