From structural health monitoring to finite element modeling of heritage structures - The Medieval Towers of Lucca

This chapter describes the experiments carried out on three medieval masonry towers in the historic center of Lucca, Italy. The towers have been continuously monitored by high-sensitivity seismic stations that record the structures' response to the dynamic actions of the surrounding environment. Special attention is devoted to the Guinigi Tower, one of the most iconic monuments in Lucca, whose monitoring campaign started in 2021. The goal of the chapter is to show the effectiveness of dynamic monitoring as a valuable source of information on the structural properties of the towers and sketch the capabilities of experiment-based finite element modeling.