Abstract
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 due to the rockfalls that repeatedly affected the entrance road, while Castelmola village, counted among one of the most beautiful Italian villages, stands on the top of a cliff affected by frequent rockfalls involving the only access road. The approach is composed of several steps and requires a heavy site characterization in terms of historical records and geostructural setting. The risk assessment procedure was chosen among the semiquantitative ones available in literature, and the final assessed risk was represented on a thematic map to provide a tool which could be used as a base for the planning of final remedial works.
Highlights
The Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict was signed at The Hague (Netherlands) in 1954, after the massive destruction of cultural heritage during the Second World War
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
A rockfall risk zonation would represent a useful management tool for both the choice of specific safe tourist paths, and for the proper employment of economic resources allocated for mitigation measures
Summary
The Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict was signed at The Hague (Netherlands) in 1954, after the massive destruction of cultural heritage during the Second World War. Rockfalls represent a sudden, hazardous event threatening several mountain areas worldwide [20,21,22,23,24] usually driven by local geological, geomorphological and climatic specific conditions When these phenomena threaten the possibility of a safe fruition of cultural heritage, the problem gains high relevance due to the potential involvement of a great number of people. Natural disasters affect both the immovable heritage elements such as monuments, archaeological sites and historic urban areas, and the movable components, e.g., museum collections and heritage objects representing great significance to the local community. After the analysis of literature and historical data available on these locations, the Rockfall Risk Rating System [28] was applied to each sector to compile a thematic map on the priority of remedial measures, so as to provide an example of useful output for the management of the sustainable fruition of cultural heritage in areas affected by rockfalls
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