Durability of calcarenitic hypogea in the underground cultural heritage of Palermo (Sicily)

The paper deals with the stability conditions of hypogea, several hundred m 2 wide, dating from the Punic period to the XIX century, dug out of the calcarenitic table that makes up the bedrock of the Plain of Palermo in the Fossa della Garofala. This work concerns the influence that the shape of the hypogea and the characteristics of the lithotypes wields on the instability and decay phenomena taking place, by mean of laboratory tests on the calcarenite and parametric numerical models. The comparison between the numerical models and the actual instability phenomena validated the use of the empirical formula of Hoeck to the mechanical characterization of complex structured rock-mass in soft rock.