Vertebral metastases represent a significant clinical challenge, greatly impacting spinal mechanical stability and affecting patients' quality of life. A non-invasive method to assess the mechanical strength of vertebrae affected by metastatic lesions would be valuable for surgeons in suggesting whether surgical treatment is necessary to preserve vertebral body integrity. This approach involves the use of patient-specific Finite Element Models (FEMs) to make such assessments. The accuracy of the predictions made by FEMs must be validated against experimental data before they can be adopted in clinical practice. An ongoing project at the Medical Technology Laboratory of the Rizzoli Orthopedics Institute aims to perform non-destructive tests on human vertebral bodies to measure the response of the vertebra under simplified, but numerically reproducible, boundary conditions.