Acoustic characterisation of historical squares: Two examples in Italy

Every pleasant place has its own sound. Unfortunately the noise produced by human activities may cover these sounds and consequently destroy their identity. The present work aims to characterise the acoustic environment of two famous historical squares in Italy (in Bologna and Catania) where sound-marks and traffic noise live together. By means of an extensive measurement campaign it was possible to characterise each source, to asses the relative weight of each sound component in order to emphasize or control them. A map containing the areas of influence of each noise source was produced, and interviews to citizens living the square were carried out. This allowed the definition of a strategy to improve the quality of sound perception in the square.