Seismic vulnerability of historic masonry buildings: the case of Villa La Magia in Quarrata (PT)

Italy’s cultural heritage is mainly made of historic masonry constructions. These structures, due to the seismic hazard of the Italian territory, together with their intrinsic vulnerability, are particularly susceptible to local or global collapses in case of seismic loading. This is also the case of Villa La Magia in Quarrata (a small town near Pistoia, Italy), a Villa Medicea recently added to the UNESCO’s World Heritage list. This paper, based on the provisions of the Italian Recommendation, aims at analysing the seismic vulnerability of this worldwide cultural heritage. In the first part of the paper, after a brief description of the structure, the seismic vulnerability of La Magia is assessed. Local behaviour, based on kinematic linear analysis of several macroelements, and global behaviour, based on a finite element (FE) model of the whole structural complex, have been evaluated with the aim to suggest possible retrofitting works whose effectiveness is investigated in the second part of the paper. The study highlights some critical issues, such as weak walls’ connections and poor quality masonry, typical of the historic masonry building structural typology, and the proposed retrofitting works aim to increase the seismic safety level of Villa La Magia preserving its historical identity.