Abstract. The 1805 earthquake damaged a large area of the Southern Italy, destroying most of the architectural heritage in the “Contado of Molise”, a poor region characterized by numerous medieval towns. In the aftermath of the catastrophe, the reconstruction and in fewer cases the restoration of important buildings, mainly the ecclesiastical ones, took place without a well-defined rebuilding plan. If, from a formal point of view, interesting design levels were not reached, the same cannot be stated for the construction solutions adopted, especially regarding vaulted systems. Actually, they were conceived either with wood, concrete with aggregates or full/hollow clay bricks. This variety of constructive raw elements is a direct manifestation of the richness of the vernacular constructive tradition. Moreover, the intrinsic lightness of such materials suggests as well the need at the time of new lightweight structures capable of standing on pre-existing weakened masonries. This approach was probably taken in order to reduce vulnerability and improve structural resilience to earthquakes. In light of these considerations, the paper focuses on the different construction techniques used to rebuild the vaulting systems after the 1805 earthquake in Molise, discussing their potentialities and weaknesses as well as their capacity to improve resilience in the architectural heritage.
The Minerva Tower is placed on the Punta Campanella promontory, which is the last offshoot of the Sorrentine Peninsula and seat of suggestive archaeological and mythological memories. The strategic position contributed, over the centuries, to the settlement of important architectures, such as the sanctuary dedicated to Athena and a Roman domus, which makes the area a complex and rich palimpsest of material stratifications. The Minerva Towerthat nowadays is the main landmark of the promontorywas built in 1334 in relation to the site of the temple of Athena but was completely transformed in 1566, as a consequence of the strengthening plan of the southern coasts which was planned by the Spanish viceroy Pedro Afán de Ribera Duke of Alcalà. The paper deepens the knowledge of the tower by analyzing the transformations during the viceroyal period and highlighting the changes and the hidden ancient traces which are preserved until today.
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