Seismic damages on fortified architectures: Lessons learned from three earthquakes (Emilia 2012, Central Italy 2016, Albania 2019)

The recent earthquakes that hit the Mediterranean Europe area have highlighted the fragility of our historical built heritage. Paradoxically, even if they look as massive structures, designed to stand exceptional stresses, the fortified architectures were among the most damaged. The paper focuses on a comparative analysis of the main building features of these peculiar buildings, damaged by the strongest earthquakes in Europe in the last ten years – Emilia 2012, Central Italy 2016 and Albania 2019 – with the aim of recognizing the typical vulnerabilities, which favour the recurrence of specific damages. The experience acquired through the observation of these damage mechanisms allowed to assess the frequency of their occurrence, thus identifying the priorities of the interventions in relation to the seismicity of the analysed areas. Indeed the observation and classification of the real damage is seen as the first step for a focused preventive restoration approach.