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This study focuses on the Memorial Chapel, a historical site located inside the Tempio Evangelico Valdese in Florence. In 1843, the first Anglican church in Florence, known as Holy Trinity Church, was built by D. Giraldi. Around 1892, G. F. Bodley began the reconstruction of a new building of neo-Gothic style at the same site, which was completed in 1904. This new church had a space dedicated to memory called Memorial Chapel. In 1967, the monumental complex was acquired by the Waldensians, now known as the Tempio Evangelico Valdese. This interdisciplinary investigation aimed to study the most damaged painted walls of the chapel. For this purpose, samples of decorative plaster mortars were collected from various points, after carrying out a digital mapping of the degraded areas. Mineralogical, petrographic, optical, chemical, and microchemical analyses were performed. This study made it possible to highlight the composition and the characteristics of the different layers of the plaster mortars, permitting us also to identify the types of pigments used over time in the paintings; furthermore, it was possible to reconstruct the degradation phenomena on the walls and the events that caused them, providing valuable insight for targeted restoration efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research of structural masonry associated with geo-hydrological hazards in Cultural Heritage is a multidisciplinary issue, requiring consideration of several aspects including the characterization of used materials. On 25 May 2016, loss of water from the subterranean pipes and of the aqueduct caused an Arno riverbank failure damaging a 100 m long portion of the historical embankment wall of Lungarno Torrigiani in Florence. The historical masonry was built from 1854–1855 by Giuseppe Poggi and represents a historical example of an engineering approach to riverbank construction, composed of a scarp massive wall on foundation piles, with a rubble masonry internal core. The failure event caused only a cusp-shaped deformation to the wall without any shattering or toppling. A complete characterization of the mortars was performed to identify the technologies, raw materials and state of conservation in order to understand why the wall has not collapsed. Indeed, the mortars utilized influenced the structural behavior of masonry, and their characterization was fundamental to improve the knowledge of mechanical properties of civil architectural heritage walls. Therefore, the aim of this research was to analyze the mortars from mineralogical–petrographic, physical and mechanical points of view, to evaluate the contribution of the materials to damage events. Moreover, the results of this study helped to identify compatible project solutions for the installation of hydraulically and statically functional structures to contain the riverbank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of structural masonry joined to geohydrological hazards in cultural heritage represents a multidisciplinary theme, which requires consideration of several aspects, among them the characterization of the materials used. In this paper, a first complete chemical, minero-petrographic, and physico-mechanical characterization of core samples taken from the masonry of two Florence riverbanks (Lungarno degli Acciaiuoli and Lungarno delle Grazie) is performed in order to identify the raw materials, technologies, and state of conservation and to support the planning of maintenance and restoration interventions. The physico-mechanical characterization of the riverbanks allows their stability to be determined. Such investigations allow identification of the level of compactness and cohesion of masonry; this information is useful for planning emergency interventions and for supporting planned restoration activities. The results provide valid support for the design of riverbank safety projects, to mitigate the risk of their collapse and to decrease the flood risk in the historic center of Florence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]