Rome and Naples collide with land collapses

A gaping hall is located in the heart of a residential area of ​​Rome (Italy). It is eight meters wide and 13 meters deep. The hole appeared within seconds, taking two cars in the middle of the night, under the gaze of stunned residents. In one building, the entire facade near the sinkhole had to be evacuated. This phenomenon is common in Italy, in Rome, but also in Naples last February. Naples was also affected in January 2021, when a hole appeared in a hospital parking lot. Fortunately there were no casualties.

Underground spaces are subjected to severe tests

These cities are built on kilometers of galleries and cavities that date back to antiquity, and which have been subjected to severe tests. “It may be that some ancient underground passageways have cracks. They experience city traffic, constant vibrations, and the vault suddenly collapses along with everything above. And it’s worse after very significant rain events.”, explains INGV researcher Vincenzo Sapia. It is almost impossible to predict the phenomenon without thoroughly investigating each of these underground passages.