CONTINUOUS SEISMOMETRIC MONITORING OF THE NATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM "GAIO CILNIO MECENATE" IN AREZZO, ITALY

The multiple sources of vibration in urban areas contribute to the deterioration process of historical buildings and the objects contained within them modifying their dynamic properties. This is the case of the museums and artworks. In contexts of high historical value the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems represent an effective and non-invasive technique for diagnosing building health status. Although the near-zero impact of continuous monitoring, practical applications are still quite limited and the effect of environmental loads on buildings and their content is far from being completely investigated. In this context the National Institute of Geology and Volcanology (INGV) and the Department of Architecture of the University of Florence (DIDA) in 2019 undertook a long-term seismometric monitoring campaign of the National Archaeological Museum "Gaio Cilnio Mecenate" in Arezzo. The museum, a former medieval monastery built on the ruins of a Roman amphitheater, is an emblematic case-study since it is an artifact of historical importance containing a wide variety of archaeological heritage. Seismometric devices were installed first in the attic and in the hypogeal ambulatory level, then at each intermediate level for a limited period of time. Continuous data acquisition allowed to record streams of ambient noise to monitor potential evolving conditions of mechanical properties that may affect the safety of the structure. It also allowed to study the effects of the abrupt reduction of urban noise during the stop of human activities due to the SarsCov2 pandemic.