The seismic site characterization of Palazzo Centi in L’Aquila city centre: the case study of a historical building damaged by the April 6th 2009 earthquake

An extensive geological, geotechnical and geophysical investigation was performed in L’Aquila city centre to restore Palazzo Centi, a historical building, damaged by the April 6, 2009 L’Aquila earthquake. This site investigation consisted of punctual and linear tests that allowed to define a detailed 3D model of the subsoil, irregularly affected by some peculiar conditions and characterized by low and variable values of the shear wave velocity VS in the near surface volume. In particular, the variable thickness of the upper fine-grained residual soils probably determined different ground motion amplifications during the main shock.