Cultural Heritage and Earthquake: The Case Study of “Santa Maria Della Carità” in Ascoli Piceno (original) (raw)
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Earthquakes and Cultural Heritage: the 2012 seismic event in Emilia-Romagna
The 2012 seismic sequence which hit the Po Valley (Districts of Ferrara, Modena, Reggio Emilia, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna Region; Mantova, Lombardia Region; Rovigo, Veneto Region) caused 27 deaths, some hundreds of injured people, thousands of homeless, widespread failure of strategic and residential buildings, factories and infrastructures. Immediately after the first event, it was also evident that several cultural heritage constructions (churches, bell-towers, castles, and palaces) suffered collapse or severe damage, putting in danger a vast structural and mobile patrimony. This earthquake evidenced that the Po Valley is always prone to seismic risk, although the area has been included in the Italian seismic zonation only after 2003. This paper summarises the historic information, available in various catalogues and documents, about effects of past earthquakes on historic centres located in the affected area, providing highlighting examples as the Veronese 1117 catastrophe, and foc...
The Survey of Cultural Heritage After an Earthquake: The Case of Emilia–Lombardia in 2012
ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, 2016
In recent years many earthquakes hit Italy and its Cultural Heritage. The topic of survey of buildings damaged by seismic events and their interpretation has become very relevant and involved many research groups and Italian Civil Protection. <br><br> The damage survey has different roles: in the first stage, immediately after the emergency, the documentation is necessary for the shoring and protection of damaged structures (AEDES forms of Civil Protection). The aim of the second stage is the study and the documentation for the restoration, reconstruction and retrofitting of buildings. <br><br> In this context, this study presents methods and instruments used in the survey of 24 churches in the province of Mantua, Lombardy, after the 2012 earthquake sequence. The paper examines the difficulties in surveying damaged buildings and presents the classification used to define, time by time, the most suitable survey approach in the field of Geomatics. In this class...
The Historic and Artistic Heritage Facing the Earthquake Risk: The Italian Case
Natural Hazards, 1992
The problem of protection against earthquakes in Italy is made difficult by the presence of a huge historic and artistic heritage. Such a heritage is mainly made up of ancient buildings and monuments situated in the urban centres, which are densely distributed throughout Italy. Therefore, very complex problems are met in the determination of the value parameter concurring with the determination of seismic risk, in addition to hazard and vulnerability. An indication of the monetary value of a building is not sufficient as far as the cultural heritage is concerned: different criteria are necessary in order to distinguish which are the strategic buildings. If we consider that there are more than 2000 museums in Italy, most of which are placed inside historic buildings, it appears that museums should receive the highest priority in future initiatives for seismic rehabilitation.
Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering for Protection and Development of Environment and Constructions, 2019
The 2016 October 30th Central Italy earthquake (Mw 6.5) was the largest event occurred in Italy after the 1980 Irpinia event. The epicenter was located near Norcia and the shaking was clearly felt all around Central Italy and even in Rome, despite the considerable distance. Highest damages were located in the southern area of the city centre: particularly the San Paolo basilica was closed to assess damages, after the opening of cracks and fall of cornice’s pieces. Immediately after the earthquake, ISPRA experts were claimed to implement a damage assessment in the Necropoli Ostiense, located next to San Paolo basilica. The whole archaeological site was affected by a set of N-S trending parallel cracks induced by the earthquake. The relationship between Necropoli and the neighboring Tiber’s valley has been also investigated. Active and passive seismic surveys, as well as a GPR surveys, helped in clarifying the local stratigraphic setting and its influence on local effects.
Assessment of Post-Earthquake Damage: St. Salvatore Church in Acquapagana, Central Italy
Buildings, 2018
This article proposes a multidisciplinary approach for the assessment of seismic damage from the perspective of conservation and prevention. A comparison of the state of damage has been carried out in a case study, St. Salvatore church in Acquapagana (MC), as an example of church, which underwent two important seismic events in the Central Italy area, the 1997 and the 2016 earthquakes. The comparison of the state of damage passes through the following stages: (a) the territorial seismic overview; (b) the historical description and material analysis; (c) the identification of macro-elements with activated damage mechanisms; (d) the comparison between the two seismic events both from a territorial-and building-scale perspective. This work puts together the archived and the on-site survey data with those elaborated starting from seismogenic information, available from the National Seismological Institute, and it provides a strategy also for other similar conditions. This work is to be considered a contribution to a wider study that could be carried out in the areas hit by the 2016 earthquake. It could also represent a way to collect documentation in the post-earthquake phase, improving the effectiveness of procedures currently applied to the first level of damage assessment.
Survey of churches damaged by the 2012 Emilia-Romagna earthquake sequence
2012
This report presents an overview of the damage that was observed in fourteen churches that were hit by the May 2012Emilia-Romagna earthquake sequence. The data was collected over the course of a two-day reconnaissance mission thattook place on the 9th and 10th of July 2012, and that involved researchers from the Civil engineering Department of theFaculty of Engineering of the University of Porto and of the University of Aveiro, both institutions from Portugal.It is noted that the current report only focusses the post-seismic damage assessment of churches and does not address thecultural and artistic losses associated to movable or immovable heritage. Furthermore, it is also referred that since thereconnaissance mission took place after the major earthquakes of the 20th and the 29th of May, the source of the reporteddamages is not assigned to a particular event and must be seen as the cumulative effect of several ground motions
Emergency actions for the preservation of cultural heritage buildings after the L’Aquila earthquake
4th International Conference on Hazards and Modern Heritage, 2011
The earthquake occurred on the 6th of April 2009 in the Abruzzo Region of Italy seriously hit the Cultural Heritage (C.H.) patrimony with major destructive effects on L’Aquila, a city of 70,000 inhabitants with the size and the historical and strategic importance of the region’s capital. The toll in terms of structural damages was enormous, also considered that a vast amount of buildings were made of poorly arranged masonry composed by round pebbles, with mortar of scarce mechanical characteristics.
L’Aquila earthquake: emergency actions for the preservation of Cultural Heritage buildings
3rd Euro Mediterranean Symposium on Advances in Geomaterial and Structures, 2010
The architectural heritage was seriously hit by the earthquake that occurred on April 6th 2009 in the Abruzzo region, especially considering the effects on a city with the size and with historical and strategic importance as a capital of a region, L’Aquila. The activities to protect that heritage have been conducted on two parallel levels: damage surveys and design and implementation of temporary safety measures. The overall organization has been centralized in the structure “Protection of Cultural Heritage” at Di.Coma.C. (Command and Control Quarter), managed by the Civil Protection Department. This allowed the cooperation among different involved subjects (Ministry of Cultural Heritage officers, experts on structural engineering from Universities and Fire Brigade teams), with their own specific knowledge. Keystone of the operating process was the standardization of the damage survey and of its immediate and correct interpretation, through dedicated survey forms for churches and palaces, developed by the G.La.Be.C. (Working group for the protection of Cultural Heritage from natural risks). Finally, the experience in the field of temporary safety measures was extremely interesting: ideas for engineering the process were developed, in cooperation with the work of the fire brigade men, that are highly experienced technicians in the “emergency” field.
The Romanesque Apagni Church, placed on a light slope, consists of an unique frescoed hall, with a covered by a double pitch on wooden trusses. It is a typical rock church of the Apennines of Umbria and Marche, built between 1300 and 1600. We have no data about date and type of construction, but it is likely that this happened after the collapse of the previous structure due to a seismic event. The frescos are attributed to Angelucci, a family of artists who worked in Umbria and Marche in XVI century. The church has been chosen, in the PROSEESM project framework, as case study for an application of a system isolation technique on cultural heritage structures.
Innovative Restoration of the Apagni Romanesque Church, damaged by the 1997 Marche-Umbria Earthquake
Proc. of the 13th World …, 2004
Conservation criteria of Masonry CUltural HEritage Structures (MCUHESs) are often not compatible with correct antiseismic requirements. In fact, the use of conventional methods leads, in most cases, to retrofitting interventions excessively invasive or ineffective. This conflict has been unfortunately demonstrated by the relevant damage found in a large amount of MCUHESs, restored after earthquakes but again seriously struck by subsequent seismic events. Due to those simple statements, a different approach to the question has been pointed out, addressing to the use of modern antiseismic techniques; they can reduce the dynamic actions transmitted by the earthquake, rather than improve the structural resistance. After a detailed diagnostics and monitoring campaign, the Romanesque church of San Giovanni Battista at Apagni (Sellano, Perugia) has been selected as a pilot application of Seismic Isolation (SI) by means of a specific subfoundation system, in order to respect as better as possible the building original features. This paper shows the main steps of the preliminary work and the design proposal.
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Sustainable Fruition of Cultural Heritage in Areas Affected by Rockfalls
Sustainability
This paper deals with the evaluation of rockfall risk in cultural heritage, in the frame of a quick protocol for a preliminary zonation, to ensure the safe management and sustainable fruition of the sites. Several historical complexes in mountainous areas are indeed threatened by rock slope instability, and rockfalls can be counted among the main causes of fatality. In such a complex, a rockfall risk zonation would represent a useful management tool for both the choice of specific safe tourist paths, but also for the proper employment of economic resources allocated for mitigation measures. Nevertheless, the management of cultural heritage lacks such plans and tourists are often exposed to risks, while funds are often employed without a specific priority. In this paper, a quick procedure was tested at the historical complex of Taormina (southern Italy), which hosts numerous tourist spots often affected by rockfalls. The Saracen castle, for example, is currently closed to the public ...
Parametric analysis on local collapse mechanisms of masonry churches
CENTRAL EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON THERMOPHYSICS 2019 (CEST)
Local collapse mechanisms related to the out-of-plane response of walls are commonly observed in existing masonry constructions subjected to earthquakes. In such structures, the lack of proper connections among orthogonal walls and between walls and floors does not allow to develop a global box-type behaviour, which is governed by the in-plane response of walls. In this paper, a parametric investigation on masonry churches by using the linear kinematic analysis is carried out in order to evaluate the correspondent collapse load multipliers. The study is conducted on 12 masonry churches located in Teramo (Italy), whose out-of-plane collapse mechanisms are analysed. Façade overturning, vertical bending, corner overturning and roof gable overturning mechanisms are examined. For each mechanism, a parametric analysis is executed by varying height and thickness of walls. Acceleration values activating the above mechanisms are evaluated in order to perform the checks prescribed by the Italian standard, so to foresee future seismic retrofitting interventions on churches in crisis conditions.
Frontiers in Built Environment
The Italian territory is rich of constructions belonging to the architectural heritage which deserve to be protected against earthquakes. In seismic prone areas ecclesiastic complexes, including churches, bell towers, monasteries, basilicas, synagogues, cathedrals and so on, have shown to be very susceptible at damage, even with partial or total collapses, when undergoing earthquakes. Indeed, these constructions, which are usually designed to withstand gravity loads only, are characterized by slender walls, lack of horizontal floors, bad quality of the masonry apparatus, ineffective connections among walls and between roofs and walls and absence of tie-beams absorbing the thrusts of arches and vaults. All these issues are responsible of the damages suffered by these structures, as detected after the last Italian earthquakes, such as those occurred in L'Aquila (2009), Emilia-Romagna (2012), Central Italy (2016), and Ischia (2017). In the current paper the seismic vulnerability assessment of the bell tower of the SS. Rosario ecclesiastic complex in Finale Emilia (district of Modena, Italy) is presented and discussed. After the geometrical and structural surveys of the whole masonry structure have been performed, the global seismic analysis of the bell tower by the 3Muri analysis software has been done. In particular, the behavioral differences between the isolate condition of the tower and the case within the ecclesiastic complex have been highlighted, showing the aggregate beneficial effect. Finally, proper retrofitting interventions have been designed and applied to the masonry bell tower, considered both as isolate construction and aggregate one, and the different benefits deriving from these interventions in the two inspected cases have been emphasized.
Monitoring cultural heritage buildings: The San Ciriaco bell-tower in Ancona
AIP Conference Proceedings, 2018
The preliminary results of an ambient-vibration based investigation conducted on the San Ciriaco Belfry in Ancona (Italy) is presented. The assessment procedure includes full-scale ambient vibration testing, modal identification from ambient vibration responses, finite element modeling and dynamic-based identification of the uncertain structural parameters of the model. As the most doubtful parameters, the modulus of elasticity of the masonry is adjusted to achieve the experimental results with numerical model by simple operations.
Mechanical characterization of unfired earth via numerical assessment of the experimental data
CENTRAL EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON THERMOPHYSICS 2019 (CEST), 2019
The current work presents the first results on the determination of reliable numerical models of earthen blocks under different loading conditions. Uniaxial compression and 3-points bending tests were performed. Experimental behavior was modelled with a nonlinear model able to describe the cracking behavior. The simplified approach based on macro-modelling shows a satisfactory accuracy and low computational costs. The numerical results are in good agreement with the post-elastic behavior observed in the experimental campaign.
CENTRAL EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON THERMOPHYSICS 2019 (CEST), 2019
The dynamics of the medieval civic clock tower of Amatrice (Rieti-Italy) has been studied using the Non-Smooth Contact Dynamics (NSCD) method, implementing a discrete element numerical model in the LMGC90 © code. Schematised as a system of rigid blocks, undergoing frictional sliding and plastic impacts, the tower has exhibited complex dynamics, because of the geometrical non-linearity and the non-smooth nature of the contact laws. Numerical simulations are performed with the aim of comparing the numerical result and the observed damages after the seismic sequence of the Central Italy earthquakes.
Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering, 2019
The non-smooth contact dynamics method was selected to investigate the damage occurred to typical masonry churches (namely Apennine churches) belonging to Central Italy areas affected by the seismic activity started in 2016. The investigated buildings show discontin-uous dynamics since the optioned method gave the chance to properly model the temples as multi rigid body systems using the Signorini's impenetrability condition and the dry-friction Coulomb's law, achieving a thoughtful response to ground seismic solicitations. The results provided by the assessment grant an overview of the most common damages and failure mechanisms, giving the guidelines to restoration projects that fully respond to structural needs.
Dynamic Behavior of an Inclined Existing Masonry Tower in Italy
Frontiers in Built Environment, 2019
The renaissance bell tower of San Benedetto in Ferrara (Italy) has been investigated to understand its nonlinear dynamics correctly with the Non-Smooth Contact Dynamic (NSCD) method. The masonry structure has been modeled with the Discrete Element Methods (DEM), assuming rigid blocks and frictional joints, with the aim to recreate the tower in the actual configuration with the inclination and in a fictitious perfect vertical shape in order to assess the influence of the initial slope on its dynamics. The contacts between blocks are governed by the Signorini's impenetrability condition and by dry-friction Coulomb's law. Both configurations have been analyzed inducing real seismic excitations of various types and intensities, corresponding to the six main seismic events of the last few decades in Italy. Thus, the seismic vulnerability of the examined tower is clearly expressed in the numerical results, proving the effects due to the inclination on the amplification of the vulnerability and the several possible collapse mechanisms. Moreover, the NSCD has demonstrated to be a powerful numerical technique to obtain highly accurate results in the structural analyses of masonry structures in the nonlinear range.
Frontiers in Built Environment, 2019
The subject of this work is the Sant'Agostino Sanctuary in Offida (Italy); we investigated both the dynamic behavior and the seismic vulnerability of the complex, used nowadays in its parts as school building, oratory, and church. Offida is in central Italy; the village has been severely damaged by the last seismic events of 2016. The sanctuary was heavily damaged by the earthquake of 24 August 2016. We recurred to finite elements to estimate the vulnerability of the sanctuary and its dynamic response, considering masonry's non-linear behavior by means of proper constitutive assumptions. To estimate how the monastery bears the lateral loads related to the expected demands resulting from seismic actions (N2 method) using non-linear static analysis (Pushover), we recurred to a homogenized material and smeared cracking and crushing constitutive law. As may be remarked by observing buildings that share the same features of the sanctuary and, moreover, by comparing seismic demand vs. capacity, the structure is prone to massive damage leading to collapse. The paper underlines how advanced numerical analysis grants fundamental data on how historical masonry buildings behave under seismic action, providing a method that may easily be implemented at historic monasteries in Europe.
The Open Construction and Building Technology Journal, 2019
Background: The vulnerability assessment of existing school buildings against earthquakes represents a priority concern for society. In recent years, several countries promote seismic rehabilitation projects of school buildings, including the allocation of funds to regions with high seismic hazard. Objective: This research aims to highlight some key role aspects related to difficulties encountered in the numerical modelling of RC structures hosting school activities. This work evaluates the seismic vulnerability of school buildings located in the municipality of Trecastelli (Marche, Central Italy) to quantify the effective influence of typical and specific seismic vulnerabilities detected on the global seismic behaviour of each building. The effectiveness of a possible Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) local strengthening intervention, for the case study, aimed to confine unconfined beam-column joints is also considered. Methods: Three different numerical models of a Reinforced...
Buildings, 2021
The paper presents a failure analysis of the bell tower of the church of St. Francis of Assisi on Kaptol in Zagreb subjected to seismic activity using the finite-discrete element method—FDEM. The bell tower is a masonry building, and throughout history it has undergone multiple damages and reconstructions. It was significantly damaged during the earthquake in Zagreb which occurred on 22 March 2020 with a magnitude of 5.5. The analysis was performed on a simplified FDEM 2D numerical model which corresponds to the structure in its current pre-disaster state and the structure after the proposed post-disaster reconstruction. The obtained results showed a good agreement of the crack pattern in the numerical model and the cracks that occurred due to these earthquakes. In addition, the conclusions based on the conducted analysis can provide a better insight into the behaviour and serve as guidelines to engineers for the design of such and similar structures.
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Cultural Heritage Buildings and the Abruzzo Earthquake: Performance and Post-Earthquake Actions
Advanced Materials Research, 2010
The architectural heritage was seriously hit by the earthquake that occurred on April 6th 2009 in the Abruzzo region, especially considering the effects on a city with the size and with historical and strategic importance as a capital of a region, L’Aquila. The activities to protect that heritage have been centralized in the structure “Protection of Cultural Heritage” at Di.Coma.C. (Command and Control Quarter), managed by the Civil Protection Department. This allowed the cooperation among different involved subjects (Ministry of Cultural Heritage officers, experts on structural engineering from Universities and Fire Brigade teams), with their own specific knowledge. Keystone of the operating process was the standardization of the damage survey and of its immediate and correct interpretation, through dedicated survey forms for churches and palaces. The experience in the field of temporary safety measures was extremely interesting: ideas for engineering the process were developed, in...
Damage to religious buildings due to the Pianura Padana Emiliana earthquake
The paper reports the most common mechanisms of damage in churches, oratories and steeples as a result of the damage survey carried out by ENEA researchers in the areas of Emilia-Romagna region affected by the earthquake of May 2012, with particular reference to the historical centres. The surveys, mainly carried out immediately after the event, concerned the mere observation of the damage from the outside. Considering the great extent of the area affected, from the province of Ferrara to those of Bologna and Modena, and the large number of churches in any Italian town, it is easy to imagine the amount of damage caused by this earthquake to religious, architectural and artistic heritage. The earthquake showed the high vulnerability of the religious heritage of Emilia-Romagna and, more generally, of the Italian heritage, mostly located in areas of high seismicity, too often subject only to unsystematic interventions of repair, consolidation, renovation.
Cultural Heritage and Seismic Disasters: Assessment Methods and Damage Types
Appraisal and Valuation, 2020
The identification of adequate evaluation methodologies of earthquake damages to Cultural Heritage is a highly topical subject, considering the frequency and intensity of the seismic phenomenon, in recent times, in Italy. The subject is related to the broader theme of the attribution of a "monetized" economic value to the cultural assets, widely investigated in the appraisal and evaluation Italian disciplines. In this perspective, the article aims to verify the principles and evaluation methods for the monetary assessment of the damages caused by earthquake disasters. Starting from the definition of cultural assets as in the Italian legislative system, the article highlights the characteristics and several values of cultural assets; it then defines, in a systematic way, the damage and its differentiation, subsequently discussing the main damage evaluation approaches.
Cultural Heritage and earthquake: a multidisciplinary approach to restoration site
VITRUVIO - International Journal of Architectural Technology and Sustainability
This paper looks at a multidisciplinary approach to the restoration of sites hit by earthquakes, and illustrates how an integrated approach can successfully combine technical requirements with historical and cultural ones. The methodology presented in this study concerns the "Castello di Fossa" restoration project in central Italy, which was hit by an earthquake in 2009. Cooperation between the two teams working on the project led to the development of new ideas and the definition of an innovative role for the castle within the urban and rural landscape. The project looked at how to improve energetic and structural performance through the retrofitting of the building, whilst at the same time guaranteeing the conservation of its architectural values. Lastly, the results of this joint work undertaken by archaeologists, researchers from the National Research Centre (CNR ITC, L'Aquila) and the University of L'Aquila (DICEAA) and designers, are presented as well as the coherence of the reconstruction.
Proceedings HERITAGE 2022 - International Conference on Vernacular Heritage: Culture, People and Sustainability
The numerous reconstruction experiences after the great earthquakes occurred in Italy during the last fifty years (Sicily, 1968 – central Italy, 2016) have given way to a great improvement of the Italian post-seismic emergency management and differ from each other by their results in terms of degree of conservation of the pre-existent buildings. Through the summary analysis of the legislation adopted for the reconstruction process after the Belice (1968) and Friuli (1976) earthquakes, this contribution aims at investigating the peculiarities of the different intervention strategies adopted for the conservation of the traditional masonry buildings and the historical built landscape – to which they belong – recognised as the essential component of the Italian cultural heritage. Specifically, the 1968 and 1976 earthquakes provided an opportunity to enhance the cultural debate on the approach to the towns destroyed by seismic events and initiated an ongoing process which progressively m...
Preservation of Cultural Heritage in Post-Seismic Reconstructions: A Method and a Case Study
2020
Post-catastrophe reconstructions that do not take into account the intangible cultural resources of a territory often recreate places where people do not recognize themselves and, therefore, decide not to live there. The enhancement of the identity of places in post-earthquake reconstructions through the recovery or new creation of places of aggregation constitutes an important factor both in the immediate risk phase, and in the completion ones. Such places can represent symbolic spaces of socialization, as well as re-appropriation of areas removed from common uses due to catastrophic events. Starting from these premises, aim of this work is to present the results of the task 1.5 "Italian and international best practices and placemaking" research - with the author's co-responsibility - carried out in the framework of SISMI project of the Technological District for cultural heritage in the Lazio region. The case study of Leonessa in the Province of Rieti will complete t...
Evaluation Methodologies of Earthquake Damages to Cultural Heritage
2018
The identification of adequate evaluation methodologies of earthquake damages to Cultural Heritage is a highly topical subject, considering the frequency and intensity of the seismic phenomenon, in recent times, in Italy (the latest is the earthquake of August 2017 in the island of Ischia, in the Metropolitan city of Naples, Campania Region). The subject is related to the broader theme of the attribution of a “monetized” economic value to the cultural assets, widely investigated in the appraisal and evaluation Italian disciplines. In this perspective, the article aims to verify the principles and evaluation methods for the monetary assessment of the damages caused by earthquake disasters. Starting from the definition of cultural assets as in the Italian legislative system, the article highlights the characteristics and several values of cultural assets (section 2); it then defines, in a systematic way, the damage and its differentiation (section 3), subsequently discussing the main ...
On April 6th 2009, the city of L'Aquila, 120 km north-east of Rome, was hit by an earthquake of intensity between VIII and IX on the Mercalli scale, widely destroying both the traditional, non-monumental architecture that characterizes a majority of residential buildings in the historic center and the considerable monumental architecture. The rebuilding process that began in the following month, addressed the issue making an emphasis on quantity solutions, largely disregarding the qualities of the heritage loss. Catastrophes management and reconstruction of built heritage after catastrophes have in recent time exceeded the technical dimension of building techniques and financing to include social, cultural and environmental elements, thus turning into a complex, multidimensional challenge. While the actions of reconstruction attempt a response to the immediate need for housing through construction methods of rapid development, several other issues arise in dealing with damaged b...
applied sciences, 2020
The city of Naples (Campanian region, Southern Italy) has been hit by the strongest earthquakes located inside the seismogenic areas of the Southern Apennines, as well as by the volcano-tectonic earthquakes of the surrounding areas of the Campi Flegrei, Ischia and Vesuvius volcanic districts. An analysis of the available seismic catalogues shows that in the last millennium, more than 100 earthquakes have struck Naples with intensities rating I to III on the Mercalli-Cancani-Sieberg (MCS) scale over the felt level. Ten of these events have exceeded the damage level, with a few of these possessing an intensity greater than VII MCS. The catastrophic earthquakes of 1456 (I 0 = XI MCS), 1688 (I 0 = XI MCS) and 1805 (I 0 = X MCS) occurred in the Campania-Molise Apennines chain, produced devastating effects on the urban heritage of the city of Naples, reaching levels of damage equal to VIII MCS. In the 20th century, the city of Naples was hit by three strong earthquakes in 1930 (I 0 = X MCS), 1962 (I 0 = IX MCS) and 1980 (I 0 = X MCS), all with epicenters in the Campania and Basilicata regions. The last one is still deeply engraved in the collective memory, having led to the deaths of nearly 3000 individuals and resulted in the near-total destruction of some Apennine villages. Moreover, the city of Naples has also been hit by ancient historical earthquakes that originated in the Campanian volcanic districts of Campi Flegrei, Vesuvio and Ischia, with intensities up to VII-VIII MCS (highest in the Vesuvian area). Based on the intensity and frequency of its past earthquakes, the city of Naples is currently classified in the second seismic category, meaning that it is characterized by "seismicity of medium energy". In this paper, we determine the level of damage suffered by Naples and its monuments as a result of the strongest earthquakes that have hit the city throughout history, highlighting its repetitiveness in some areas. To this aim, we reconstructed the seismic history of some of the most representative urban monuments, using documentary and historical sources data related to the effects of strong earthquakes of the Southern Apennines on the city of Naples. The ultimate purpose of this study is to perform a seismic macro-zoning of the ancient center of city and reduce seismic risk. Our contribution represents an original elaboration on the existing literature by creating a damage-density map of the strongest earthquakes and highlighting, for the first time, the areas of the city of Naples that are most vulnerable to strong earthquakes in the future. These data could be of fundamental importance to the construction of detailed maps of seismic microzones. Our study contributes to the mitigation of seismic risk in the city of Naples, and provides useful advice that can be used to protect the historical heritage of Naples, whose historical center is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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