Geotechnical and structural analysis of the Ninfeo di Genazzano

The conservation of our architectural heritage, so vast and rich in historical and artistic terms, requires a multidisciplinary approach to understand the ongoing phenomena and to implement countermeasures against degradation factors and natural and anthropic risks. In this paper an integrated, geotechnical and structural, research for the investigation of the stability conditions of the Ninfeo di Genazzano is presented. The structure, which tracks back to the Renaissance and is attributed to Bramante, was built near Rome and is at present in ruins. The interpretation of the instability phenomena, already suggested in architectural studies of the past century, was carried out using a numerical approach based on the Finite Element method. Advanced constitutive laws were adopted to describe the key features of the mechanical behaviour of soil strata and masonry structures and of their mutual interaction. The comparison between the numerical results and the current conditions at the investigated site proves the predictive capabilities of the developed models and their potentiality in the context of evaluation and preservation activities of historical-architectural heritage.