Riparazione dei danni e presidi antisismici dopo il terremoto del 1818 in area etnea: il caso di Acireale

Between February 20 and March 1, 1818, an earthquake struck the Etna area in Sicily, causing considerable damages to the architectural heritage of about sixty centers, while lighter damage occurred in another forty. Acireale - towards which it was decided to focus the present study - was among the cities most damaged. The contribution intends to investigate the ways in which we dealt with the problems caused by the earthquake, deepening the role of the professionals involved in the damage assessment process and consequent reconstruction of the damaged buildings, with particular attention to the construction techniques adopted in the consolidation and restoration of buildings, in order to highlight some practices related to the defi nition of anti-seismic design criteria. The research was conducted through the analysis of some case studies deemed signifi cant referring in particular to the monumental architecture of Acireale. The cross-reading of the bibliographic sources, among which contemporary chronicles are of particular interest, and of the copious archival documentation (largely unpublished) - mainly consisting of the expert reports produced by the engineers, in some cases accompanied by specifi cations of the works to be carried out - was supported by the direct analysis of the buildings aimed at understanding the interventions implemented. Particular consideration was also given to the comparison between the technologies adopted after the 1818 earthquake and what was achieved on the occasion of previous earthquakes in order to highlight persistence and innovations in the construction culture of the time.