Structural aspects for the preservation of historical sites and monuments of the town of Aquileia

The paper considers the evolution of the achieved settlement and static concerns being present in the area of the Basilica of Aquileia. After the examination of the historical facts concerning the geotechnical point of view, we have tried to quantify the compressibility of the ground level, by considering separately the following three aspects: consolidation, secondary compressibility and sedimentation. It is shown that the total settlement(about 1.80 m) is mainly due to the sedimentation and that creep phenomena seem to be responsible for a settlement of only about 35 cm. The analyses of the various factors that have contributed to the settling of the tower of Aquileia from a geotechnical point of view are presented. Moreover some important observations by researchers and archaeologists of the past in order to retrace the structural history of the tower are taken into account. Special attention has been dedicated to the territorial behaviour. Hence, it was possible to make a reasonable separation between the settlements due to natural and to anthropic causes. The possible deformations of the soil are analysed and discussed in an exhaustive manner.