Messina: story of a town 'expert' on earthquakes. Via Risorgimento, a palimpsest of 'anti-seismic' building systems

The paper “Messina: story of a town ‘expert’ on earthquakes. Via Risorgimento, a palimpsest of ‘anti‑seismic’ building systems” is an academic article published in Annals of Geophysics (volume 62, issue 3, SE334, 2019). It is authored by Ornella Fiandanda and Raffaella Lione, researchers at the Department of Engineering, University of Messina, Italy. The study examines how Messina’s urban fabric and building techniques have evolved in response to a series of major earthquakes, with a particular focus on the Via Risorgimento corridor.

Messina suffered catastrophic seismic events in 1693, 1783, 1894 and the devastating 1908 earthquake. Each event triggered reconstruction phases that introduced new anti‑seismic regulations and building methods. The authors trace the city’s transformation from a late‑Renaissance settlement to a baroque town, and later to a modern urban centre shaped by engineering interventions.

The investigation combines archival documents, technical reports, contemporary publications, and cadastral surveys (IGM maps of 1909‑1911). It also utilises records from the Municipal Historical Archives, the Special Office for Expropriations (USE), and the Civil Engineering‑Earthquake Service archives. These sources allow a detailed comparison of pre‑ and post‑1908 building conditions, especially regarding foundations, sub‑layers and elevation structures.

Key findings highlight two principal anti‑seismic concepts: rigid foundations linked directly to the superstructure, and damped systems intended to decouple ground motion. Early patents (1909‑1912) proposed rollers, springs and slip plates, but were largely rejected for cost and maintenance reasons. Consequently, reinforced concrete with rigid connections became the dominant solution, promoted for its monolithic behaviour and perceived resilience.

The paper outlines a sequence of Italian legislative texts (Regio Decreto 1909/193, 1912/1080, 1913/1261, 1915/573, 1917/1399, 1924/2089, etc.) that progressively defined acceptable construction typologies. Early decrees allowed masonry, reinforced masonry and iron or wood frames; later versions emphasised reinforced concrete frames with diagonal bracings or rigid nodes. By the 1920s, reinforced concrete was portrayed as the sole “anti‑seismic” material, despite ongoing debate about its design and execution quality.

The authors map a stretch from Via Santa Marta to Via Cannizzaro, identifying specific blocks (e.g., 109, 110/III, 121/I, 133, 144/I). Surviving nineteenth‑century buildings exhibit mixed typologies: stone masonry with brick reinforcement, reinforced concrete slabs, and raft foundations. Post‑1908 repairs often added horizontal and vertical reinforced‑concrete elements, while expropriation procedures cut portions of buildings to align with the Borzì urban plan.

The study reveals that durable, adaptable structures arise from a combination of sound foundations, material homogeneity, and flexible interior layouts (e.g., mezzanine floors that lower the centre of mass). The “heap‑of‑stones with brick lists” masonry, characterised by uniform load distribution and elastic response, is presented as an early example of sustainable, low‑impact construction. These historical techniques inform contemporary sustainable housing strategies that seek resilience without excessive resource consumption.

• Publication: Annals of Geophysics, 2019, 62(3), SE334.
• Authors: Ornella Fiandanda, Raffaella Lione (University of Messina).
• Focus area: Via Risorgimento, Messina (multiple blocks).
• Earthquake chronology: 1693, 1783, 1894, 1908.
• Legislative timeline: 1909‑1937 Italian decrees governing anti‑seismic design.
• Construction typologies documented: reinforced masonry, reinforced concrete frames, rigid foundations, raft foundations, mixed stone‑brick systems.
• Archival sources: IGM topographic surveys, municipal archives, USE expropriation records, civil‑engineering earthquake service files.

The paper provides a comprehensive, data‑driven account of how Messina’s built environment responded to recurrent seismic threats. By documenting the evolution of anti‑seismic regulations, construction technologies and urban planning decisions, it offers valuable evidence for European policymakers, architects and engineers aiming to develop sustainable, earthquake‑resilient housing across diverse geological contexts.