Testing the reliability of mini-UAVs acquisition campaign on detailed bas-reliefs. The case study of sculpturing elements of Donatello's Pulpit.

The need to achieve a complete three-dimensional database has seen an increasing use of UAV systems in architectural surveying. In particular, special types of drones -mini-UAVs- are increasingly being used for surveys within historical centres or in critical areas. Through the case study of the documentation of Donatello's Pulpit at Cathedral of Santo Stefano in Prato, the paper aims to evalu-ate the acquisition’s reliability by mini-UAV of an architectural element characterized by a high level of detail. The evaluation is carried out comparing the results obtained by drone with those obtained by proven techniques of terrestrial laser scanner and photogrammetric survey.