Dissesto sismico e riparazione del campanile di S. Giacomo dell’Orio a Venezia a seguito del terremoto del 1348

Within the study of the steadiness of bell towers in Venice (which was worked out through a convention between the University IUAV of Venice and the Superintendence of the Architectural Heritage and Landscape of Venice) some of the most ancient bell towers were investigated and a survey of the cracks was done. The bell tower of Saint Giacomo dell’Orio Church, whose damages due to the 1348 earthquake were documented, was carefully examined, by making the survey of damages and an internal and external stratigraphic analysis. Thus it was possible to clearly notice the existence of an ancient cracking-layout, with no or very small following worsening and that was partially repaired through an intervention which is datable, as for the constructive techniques, the second half of the XIVth century. Within the same intervention some wooden tie-beams with metal heads were placed inside the tower, using the same new “altinelle”-bricks as for the cracks repairs, that is the small bricks which were no more used after the first years of the XVth century in Venice. The study shows the method that was used for the work and its results. It also gives some indications about the power of that earthquake in Venice and about the damages the bell tower underwent. It also suggests some remarks about the present vulnerability of this building and of other and similar ones and the problem is posed of the necessary intervention to be done in order to contrast it.