Ground penetrating radar survey finalized to the recovery of the ‘‘S. Agata alla Badia’’ church in Catania (eastern Sicily, Italy)

Numerous archaeological sites dating to thegreek-roman period have been found in the underground ofthe city of Catania (eastern Sicily, Italy). Their presence isa testimony of the several settlements that have followed inthis area over time. In this work we have conducted electromagneticsurveys, consisting of ten georadar profiles,inside the church of ‘‘S. Agata alla Badia’’, damaged duringthe earthquake occurred in eastern Sicily on 13December 1990. The aim was to investigate the area wherethe church is located to obtain information useful for itsstructural recovery. Mechanical drillings were also carriedout to reconstruct the local stratigraphy, which could becomplicated by the presence of underground cavities andartefacts, as evidenced by recent excavations beneath theCatania Cathedral, in the nearby Piazza Duomo. From theinterpretation of the GPR data, the presence of ancientmasonry structures underlying the recent foundations washighlighted. In addition, the GPR survey allowed us toidentify and locate reflective horizons in the subsurface,probably due to the presence of materials with differentstate of aggregation and/or to buried structures.