Preventive actions for architectural heritage against seismic risk. The Italian experience

The difficult management of historical buildings subjected to seismic events represents an open question, as shown by the recent sequence of earthquakes stroking the center of Italy. The fundamental assumptions of the conservation design, based on the protection of the tangible and intangible values of the historical buildings, meet a difficult field of application when the material components of the architectural heritage are seriously compromised. In this case, the strategies for the prevention from seismic risk is the correct solution for a serious protection policy addressed to the built heritage. This work focuses on the limits and on the positive results obtained by preventive actions carried out in past episodes on the Italian territory, considering the roles set by several experts, in past and recent times, for facing the problem of seismic risk connected to cultural heritage safeguard.