Bobcat E10e Electric Mini-Excavator Explores Underground at Naples Landmark

E10e excavates under the St. Jerome Monumental Complex.

In the heart of Naples is an enchanting but unexplored place, the Complesso Monumentale dei Girolamini (the St. Jerome Monumental Complex), an imposing building, offering a heritage of architecture, art and culture that is waiting to be discovered simply by stepping through one of the gates in the side walls.

Built between the late sixteenth and mid-seventeenth centuries as a friary, the Complex has great historical value and can boast a vast collection of paintings and sculptures, a prestigious picture gallery, an operatic music archive, two magnificent cloisters with porticoes, and one of the most important libraries in all of Italy, with a book collection of 159,700 volumes spread throughout marvellous eighteenth-century rooms. The Complex represents one of the most important cultural concentrations in the city of Naples, so much so that it became a National Monument in 1866.

This impressive art heritage, which has been closed to the public for many years due to enduring conservation difficulties, is currently the subject of an articulated safety and recovery intervention by Lucci Salvatore Srl, a company based in Bacoli (NA), which has been working in the construction field for more than 40 years and has acquired specific skills in the archaeological sector and in the restoration and conservation of Heritage.

E10e Electric Excavator Uncovers Treasures Under The Complex
Concurrently with the maintenance of the building, Lucci Salvatore is working on the archaeological excavation beneath the structure. This delicate intervention is uncovering a new fragment of underground Naples by bringing to light on a daily basis passages, arches and rooms that predate the construction of the building, covered and tombed with excavated material. Currently, an ancient floor has been reached and excavation is underway to find the staircase leading to the room below.



E10e electric mini-excavator at work in the excavations beneath the St Jerome Monumental Complex

This careful and meticulous work has been carried out completely using a Bobcat E10e electric excavator, which has uncovered unimaginable environments of one of the oldest cities in the world, layered among the remains of Greek and Roman times, historical evidence of how Naples has evolved over time.

Salvatore Lucci, owner of Lucci Salvatore Srl, says: "The intervention at the Girolamini Monumental Complex and its subsoil conveys to us as much pride as it does fascination. The results achieved are possible thanks to the careful and constant work of the Bobcat E10e electric excavator without which this important intervention could not have been carried out as it is too deep to be performed manually or with less effective tools. Lucci has always relied on Bobcat, with full satisfaction and awareness of being able to count on innovative, reliable and technologically advanced means, allowing us to operate in the very delicate contexts of our core business."

Site manager Ugolino Dottorini comments, "The E10e proved perfect for working in the underground excavations of the Monumental Complex, which is completely indoors. Its performance proved to be the same as a motorized vehicle but in the absence of noise and especially vibration, which are essential in an archaeological context. The mini-excavator, equipped with a toothless bucket so as not to risk scratching any artifacts, has been digging continuously for 2 months, guaranteeing work continuity thanks to rapid battery recharging. The zero-tail swing profile has facilitated the most complex operations of the project."

Bobcat's E10e is the world's first 1-tonne battery-powered mini-excavator, combining zero emissions, low noise and a width of just 71 cm; this allows it to easily pass through narrow spaces making it ideal not only for indoor excavations, but also in many other sites where this type of machine is needed, such as inner-city operations, night work and construction sites in low-noise areas such as hospitals, cemeteries, schools, etc.



Historical library of the Monumental Complex - Sala Vico

The E10e has a maintenance-free, state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery and can be used for up to four hours on a single charge. With an optional 400V external super charger, the battery can be recharged to 80% of its capacity in less than two hours. As a result, the E10e can run for a full day's work when used with normal breaks. The battery can also be fully recharged overnight, using the built-in charger attached to the standard 230V mains.

The E10e is also easy to transport. In addition to the access provided by the retractable undercarriage that reduces the width of the machine to only 710 mm, the integrated folding TOPS (Tip Over Protective Structure) makes it easy to pass through entrances with reduced clearance height to perform work inside buildings and in basements.

Once the excavator is positioned and ready for use, the E10e's undercarriage can be extended up to 1100 mm for maximum stability in all working conditions. The minimum width of the E10e ensures excellent manoeuvrability in tight spaces, while the ZTS zero-tail swing design is an added advantage when working in tight spaces.

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