Air pollution is a serious problem for the preservation of cultural heritage. In fact, the iteration works of art with atmospheric pollutants leads to their degradation. To define the impact of air quality on artifacts, it is necessary to measure the pollutants levels through an air quality measurement system. In this study, the levels of particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5 and PM1) near the Amalfi Cathedral (Amalfi, Salerno, Italy) were measured by using the Sensy sensor. The analysis of the data recorded by the Sensy sensor was useful in identifying the air quality in an area that is very crowded with tourists from around the world. By analyzing the data collected by the sensor, researchers were able to assess the air quality in the area and evaluate the potential impact of air pollution on the cultural heritage sites in the region.

Coastal areas are characterized by high energetic conditions associated with the wave transformation processes and by numerous underwater cultural heritage (UCH) sites whose preservation is crucial given their cultural and economic value. Wave energy is considered a significant hazard driver for the conservation of UCH sites in wave-exposed coasts and may cause the scattering and scouring of archaeological objects, which results in the loss and degradation of the sites. In this paper, the wave energy-induced threats of a coastal site that was revealed due to coastal erosion in the mid-1970s and now is completely submerged in shallow waters, is examined. The results showed that wave energy is a significant threat due to the scouring and weathering phenomena that can detach materials from the structure.

Any submerged inorganic material is promptly colonized by a variety of microorganisms that offer the basis for the settlement of macroorganisms causing the so-called biofouling. The aim of this work is to evaluate applicability and durability of new designed coatings containing Surface-Active Ionic Liquids for the protection of underwater cultural heritage from the first step of biofouling formation. We report here the results of the characterization test performed on limestone and Carrara marble probes (colorimetric and capillary water absorption measurements) and of the UV weathering to evaluate the durability of these coatings. The results have shown that these coatings do not affect the original properties of the stone surfaces and they are stable over time.

The rectory of Santa Maria di Vezzolano in Albugnano (Asti, Italy) has recently been the subject of a restoration project aimed at solving the deterioration involving the external walls and in particular the main façade. In order to support the plan of restoration project, geophysical and chemical investigations were carried out with the aim of investigating and understanding the causes of decay phenomena. The diagnostic campaign was aimed at documenting the water paths and at understanding which saline species were formed as a result of the progress of the degradation, understanding their origin (linked to capillary rising phenomena and consequent dissolution of constituent and/or restoration materials). Salts migration and consequently stone material erosion were correlated with the evidence provided by non-invasive techniques: the presence of water in the internal walls detectable in IR thermography, and in the subsoil, detectable by geoelectric investigation.

In this paper, we analysed 22 stone samples from Roman and Pre-Roman funerary artefacts found in the ancient Atria, which are currently preserved at the National Archaeological Museum of Adria. The analysis was conducted by Polarized Light Optical Microscopy (PLM) and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF). Atria is situated in the deltaic plain of the Po River, far away from the rock formations historically exploited in the Veneto region of northern Italy. The objective of the research was to determinate the provenance of the stones to understand the trade networks that Atria relied on for obtaining stone materials and the quarries they exploited in antiquity. The results revealed the widespread presence of rock types sourced from the central-western part of Veneto. Among these, trachytes from the Euganean Hills were predominantly utilised, while the soft calcarenite known as Pietra Tenera di Vicenza from the Berici Hills and Scaglia Rossa limestone were used to lesser extent. Furthermore, the use of rhyolites for the construction of a Pre-Roman stele provides new insights into the stone resources quarried from the Euganean Hills prior the Roman era.