**4. Case Studies**

#### *4.1. Brief History and Location of the Structures Taken under Investigation*

#### 4.1.1. The Church of San Nicola in Montedoro

The church of San Nicola in Montedoro is one of the oldest in the town of Martina Franca in the province of Taranto (Italy) (see Figure 2a,b). The construction of the church presumably dates back to the 14th century, the period of the Angevin foundation of the city. It is located in the Montedoro district, hence "San Nicola di Montedoro" [20]. The church preserves its original structure, despite the internal transformations of the seventeenth century. The structure is characterized by a modest rectangular hall and late medieval architectural elements visible especially on the outside. The simplicity of the external façade is embellished only by the roof with raised pitches that intersect and form two gables with cladding made with the typical "*chiancarelle*" (a type of limestone slab). The portal is surmounted by a lunette and a small radial rose window, while on the tympanum of the main façade stands a graceful bell tower (Figure 2c). The interior consists of a single room and has two baroque altars in stone. On the walls, frescoes are visible, painted on two layers (Figure 2d) [1].

**Figure 2.** The church of San Nicola in Montedoro: location (**<sup>a</sup>**,**b**); image of the internal of the church acquired with fisheye lens (**c**); image of the external of the church (**d**).
