Santa Maria del Fiore Dome Behavior: Statistical Models for Monitoring Stability

The article describes the work in progress for analysis of the behavior of the web cracks on Brunelleschi’s Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore. The web cracks in the Dome have always given rise to concern about the stability of the monument. The analyses performed show a slight increase in the size of the main cracks and, at the same time, a relationship with the environmental variables. None of the studies conducted in the past simultaneously involved all the variables detected by the monitoring system. Understanding the relationships among all the endogenous and exogenous variables characterizing the phenomenon under study can help to predict the static evolution of the monument and to automatically detect any atypical behavior, the identification of which would, of course, be of paramount importance for the preservation of the monument, and, more in general, for the preservation of the cultural heritage.