Treating Debris of Historical Value after an Earthquake

Over the last thousand years, at least 2,500 earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 5 have hit Italy. At least 15 have had catastrophic consequences, causing over 120,000 victims.

Such tragedies have led Italy to develop a cutting-edge methodology for the management, selection and reuse of debris of cultural interest. This approach, has been illustrated in the December 2024 Issue of the Technical bulletin of the PROCULTHER-NET 2 Project.

The methodology is based on a classification of debris into three types:

• Type A: debris with a high historical-artistic value, such as fragments of frescoes, sculptures, decorative architectural elements.
• Type B: debris from historical buildings and of architectural value, potentially reusable for reconstruction.
• Type C: common debris, not of cultural interest.

Following the 2016 earthquake, the Ministry of Culture (MiC) activated the National Coordination Unit (UCCN-MiC), coordinated by the General Directorate for Cultural Heritage Security. The UCCN in turn activated the Regional Crisis and Coordination Units (UCCR-MiC) in the four regions involved (Umbria, Lazio, Abruzzo and Marche).

A significant example of the application of this methodology is the case of the historic center of Amatrice. Here, due to the high level of destruction, a systematic plan for the removal of the rubble was necessary, entrusted to the Lazio Region through the Special Offices for Reconstruction (USR). The historic center was divided into “lots” and “quadrants” to facilitate the removal and sorting of the debris.

The Ministry of Culture was directly responsible for the management of type A debris, transporting it to dedicated depots for selection and future reuse. A fundamental role was played by the Fire Brigade, Civil Protection volunteers and professionals in the sector, who collaborated to identify and recover valuable elements from the rubble.

Another emblematic case is that of the Church of San Salvatore in Campi, near Norcia. The church, severely damaged by the earthquake, had a large amount of debris and the difficulty of accessing the site made it necessary to develop a specific intervention methodology.

The intervention, coordinated by the Central Institute for Restoration (ICR) and the Superintendence for Umbria, was divided into several phases:

• Securing the structure and recovering the decorative elements.
• Cataloguing the finds using a grid system based on the discovery area.
• Transfer of the finds to a temporary storage area.
• Reassembly of the stone structure of the iconostasis balustrade and reorganization of the fresco fragments.

Thanks to this methodology, it was possible to recover almost all the authentic material of the church, allowing for a deep reflection on how and what to reconstruct. The in situ reconstruction project of the iconostasis aims to create an architecture that is seismically resistant and independent from the rest of the church, with the introduction of reversible and distinguishable structural elements.

The Italian methodology for the management of debris of cultural interest represents a model of excellence at an international level. The multidisciplinary approach, the collaboration between institutions and the active participation of local communities have made it possible to transform the rubble of the earthquake into an opportunity for the rebirth of the Italian cultural heritage.

Although focusing on the 2016 earthquake, the technical bulletin highlights how this methodology can be applied to any other type of emergency. The importance of debris management for the reconstruction of the urban and social fabric is a highly topical issue, which requires careful planning and the creation of structures dedicated to the storage and reuse of recovered materials.

The conservation of debris in situ is essential to preserve the memory of the pre-existing urban fabric and to facilitate the reuse of materials in reconstruction. As the case of Amatrice demonstrates, the rush to give a rapid response to reconstruction expectations can sometimes lead to decisions that neglect the importance of historical memory.

The recovery of the Civic Tower of Amatrice, with the reuse of type B debris, and the restoration of the Church of San Salvatore in Campi, with the recovery of type A debris, are concrete examples of the effectiveness of the Italian methodology. The progress made compared to previous earthquakes is significant: debris management has produced remarkable results in the recovery of the cultural heritage of the affected communities, providing a fundamental contribution to their material reconstruction and to the conservation of their intangible heritage.

We would like to underline the importance of the PROCULTHER-NET 2 article, which deals with an extremely important aspect which is little covered in the sources concerning the management of emergencies and post-emergencies in which historic buildings are involved.