Title: The baths complex of Villa San Marco at Stabia: investigations in a risk-assessment perspective

Authors: Michele Coppola; Jacopo G. Vitale; Giulia Poli

Addresses: Department of Architecture, University of Florence, Via Micheli 8, 50121 Firenze, Italy ' Department of Architecture, University of Florence, Via Micheli 8, 50121 Firenze, Italy ' Department of Architecture, University of Florence, Via Micheli 8, 50121 Firenze, Italy

Abstract: The architectural remains of Villa San Marco show a wide repertoire of degenerative situations, with multiple levels of criticality and complexity, typical of many archaeological areas. The damage caused by the ancient eruptions of the Vesuvius have been overlapped by several degradation processes, activated by Bourbon excavations, ineffective previous restorations and abandonment conditions. Speed and intensity of degenerative processes are connected to the vulnerability of the architectural remains. The aim of this research is to define a multi-scale-reading approach that allows the systematic understanding of the damage dynamics and the vulnerability of the architectural artefacts. The investigation was conducted on the remains of the thermal baths, currently closed to the public, chosen as the case study. In addition to the digital documentation, a survey was carried out on the main degenerative phenomena, with attention to the loss of material and the structural stability assessment. For some phenomena, a risk analysis procedure has been proposed.

Keywords: Stabia; risk assessment; archaeological preservation; damage dynamics; Villa San Marco; Roman painted plaster; safety in archaeological sites; structural assessment; thermal baths; multiscale reading.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMRI.2023.129569

International Journal of Masonry Research and Innovation, 2023 Vol.8 No.2/3, pp.134 - 153

Received: 10 Mar 2021
Accepted: 02 Sep 2021
Published online: 14 Mar 2023 *

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