Experimental analysis to define the stability conditions of the temple of Vesta in Forum Romanum

The round temple of Vesta - located in the Roman Forum and connected to the House of the Vestals on the Via Sacra – was the site of religious practices predating the founding of the city. The temple was reassembled by the Fascist regime in 1936 as background for the Via dell’Impero. This reconstruction was made by anastylosis with significant additions. The few original marble elements were composed with travertine pieces to partially restore the ancient image recovered from coins and descriptions. Investigating the building’s structural condition verified the reconstruction methods for the N-W sector. Here, two rows of three columns are arranged in concentric circles in a system of pendular elements, which is made asymmetrical by the presence of partition walls between the inner columns. The reduced-scale model - commensurate with the prevailing building conditions - highlighted the behaviour of collapse and the possibilities for improvement.