An integrated monitoring system for the monumental walls of Amelia

The ancient city of Amelia (Umbria, central Italy) is surrounded by monumental walls built by Italic civilization between VI and IV century BC. The walls of Amelia have an exceptional historical and architectonic interest due to their particular construction made of very large limestone blocks cut in polygonal shape, assembled with no cement. Recently, a part of the walls has been interested by serious structural problems culminating in a local collapse. Consequently, a series of restoration actions have been undertaken by the regional authorities, and the walls have been put under careful control. In this frame, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the Perugia University (DICA) has designed and set up an integrated monitoring system for the Amelia walls involving various techniques (GPS, high accuracy total stations, close-range photogrammetry, laser scanning, deformation sensors), which is now starting to operate. The system is designed to employ such different techniques and sensors in synergy, taking advantage by the different features of each one. The work analyses the design of the multi-sensor system, the selection criteria of instruments and sensors, the setting up of the system and the expected results.