Abstract
The Calomini hermitage is located on a steep slope, below an 80- to 130-m-high hanging rock wall. The hermitage, a significant example of religious architecture, has been a pilgrimage place since the Middle Ages. The monastery, completed by the tenth century, is built into the rock mass for more than half of its length. The stability and safety of the complex are threatened by stability problems in the rock slope. Structural and geotechnical investigations were carried out, showing the potential for rock blocks slides, particularly under dynamic conditions, with the fall of middle size blocks. Recently, some remedial works have been carried out, and wire meshes have been hung on the rock wall. Nevertheless, a significant portion of the Calomini hermitage area may be still dangerous and exposed to severe landslide hazard. Therefore, further research and countermeasures are necessary to protect a very important item of Italian cultural and architectural heritage.
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Acknowledgments
This study was supported by MIUR–Italian Ministry of Education funds (PRIN 2005—Geological and geotechnical characterization of natural slopes and slope stability analysis in seismic areas of the Northern Apennines, Italy) and by APAT (Agency for Environmental Protection and Technical Services of Italy) and Tuscany Regional Administration funds, aimed at defining the landslide susceptibility in the middle-upper Serchio River valley. The authors are grateful to W. Murphy and an anonymous referee, whose comments and suggestions greatly improved the manuscript. They are also grateful to D. Lo Presti and O. Pallara for their suggestions in performing the stability analysis.
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D’Amato Avanzi, G., Marchetti, D. & Puccinelli, A. Cultural heritage and geological hazards: the case of the Calomini hermitage in Tuscany (Italy). Landslides 3, 331–340 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-006-0061-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-006-0061-0