preservation

Pasta has been eaten in southern Italy since the Middle Ages, when Sicily’s Arab overseers introduced the drying of dough as a form of preservation, according to Amadei.

For years, members of the tiny preservation society — their ages now ranging from 60s to 80s — have flown out in helicopters, landing on the caisson.

Members of the Nixon administration asked the White House to stop the renovation or at least allow them to provide input on the preservation of artifacts.

A local preservation group, supported by a descendant of the 19th century artist, say they fear the site will be "obliterated" by the plans, which include building an archive centre in the hall's kitchen garden.

Under a nearly-60-year-old law, the White House and several other notable buildings are exempt from a key historic preservation rule - though one expert told the BBC that presidents typically follow it anyway.