Experimental evaluation of the indoor thermal environment of an Italian historical subterranean museum space

In the past few years, an increasing attention has been paid to the indoor microclimate conditions of museums, with the purpose being the long-term preservation of both the artefacts and the environment where they are located. In fact, parameters such as the internal air temperature, the relative/ specific humidity, and the lighting conditions could significantly affect the indoor air quality by generating the deterioration of the artworks conservedinside the museum. In this paper, the continuous monitoring of an ancient exhibition site with high historic value situated in Perugia, Italy, is carried out, in order to evaluate the current indoor climate performance. The exposition site consists of apartially subterranean medieval fortress built in the XVI century composed of several exhibition rooms. The purpose of the present work is therefore to propose a multidisciplinary methodology for the enhancement of the preservation of both artworks and buildings where they are kept in the perspective of sustainability and energy efficiency. Results of the thermal-hygrometric continuous monitoring of the Rocca are presented.