Geoheritage is a geotourism resource that could lead to the sustainable development of society, and could contribute to information on geological and geomorphological characteristics, education, public awareness on geoconservation, and landscape protection. Understanding this cultural wealth is still limited, since the information available is often specialized. Communication addressed to the emotional sphere can profoundly engage people, and technical information can be transmitted more effectively. For several years, our research group dealt with geoheritage and geotourism in central Italy. This work aimed to investigate different communication methods, such as publications, announcements through social media, conferences, live performances, and field excursions aimed at the emotional involvement of the public. Furthermore, the emotional response of the public was explored through a digital survey. These communication methodologies enabled a broad public reach, without any distinction based on social origin, cultural background, or age. Narrating the landscape through different forms of art creates a personal relationship with the audience. The emotional participation of the people demonstrates the effectiveness of the method in transmitting scientific and cultural themes, such as the origin of the geological landforms, the culture and the traditions that the site generated, and the problems pertaining to its protection and conservation.

The inventory and evaluation of geosites are fundamental steps of any geoconservation strategies and in setting priorities for the management of protected areas. The North-Marchean Apennines (central Italy) host an extraordinary geoheritage, making its use by society worthwhile and meaningful (e.g., teaching/learning, tourism, and recreation). An area of 600 square kilometres embracing 18 municipalities, mainly distributed along the Mt. Catria–Mt. Nerone ridge, is home to numerous spectacular geosites. The purpose of this study is to analyze the environmental heritage of the North-Marchean Apennines through the recognition, selection, and description of an extensive list of geosites, with a view to providing useful data for the establishment of a possible geopark discussed in the context of a region that is rich in protected areas. Among these, seven geosites were chosen as representative of the area and were processed through a quantitative evaluation method. The calculated Q-values are indicative of geosites of high significance and well represent the great variety and strong potential of this area. The seven geosites, witnesses of sites with a high aesthetic value, are framed from a geological and geomorphological point of view, without neglecting the additional values that make these localities particularly attractive for geotouristic and educational purposes. The study area is finally framed in the context of the region’s protected areas, with a view to the conservation and enhancement of its environmental heritage.

In this work, we propose a new approach to communicate science using art forms, such as music and poetry, in order to encourage people to learn more about landscapes. This approach was born from a desire to promote the landscape by integrating its origins and physical aesthetics with its naturalistic, cultural and artistic heritage, through narratives in popular science style, supported by the language of art. The different disciplines of Earth Science, poetry and music are applied together to specific sites, producing emotional experiences where encounter and interplay between the different languages become an expression of the place.This experience started few years ago in 2014 and was linked by a common interest in enhancement of the territory. The team is composed of researchers and artists with different skills, whose aim is to promote deeper public awareness of the territory, by means of proposing live events and presenting the idea in international scientific conferences and journals. After a project dedicated to 20 geosites in the Marche Region (Central Italy), which took place from February 2018 to February 2020 and resulted in a book in the native language (Nesci and Valentini 2019) and a website presenting a summary of it, we are now approaching a new region in North-Central Italy. The Valmarecchia and Montefeltro areas are well known by geologists and scientists from all over the world for the particular origin and evolution of the Valmarecchia nappe, which consists of stacked slices of Ligurian and Epiligurian rocks overthrusting Tuscan and Umbro-Marchean Units and producing unique geological landscapes (Guerra and Lazzari, 2020). The study area is also well known by historians and artists for its great cultural value, but poorly understood by tourists and locals.The research has identified several geological landscapes in the study area that could be used as field test sites to experiment different communication styles for dissemination of geological values. The methodology proposed in this paper aims to experiment the involvement level of the participants, engaged through the use of conventional and unconventional means in the popularization of Earth Sciences, such as music and art, directly in the field. These experiences will be included in series of treks conducted with different approaches (i.e. classic guided tours, exploring experiences, interactive engagement of the public in narrative and emotional engagement through music and art). The aim is to collect data about the involvement of the public and to verify whether incisiveness of geological concepts, conveyed within the affective domain of learning (i.e. engagement, attitude, and emotion), differs from the one deriving from the involvement of the cognitive domain (i.e. comprehension and application) (Nesci and Valentini, 2020).Our goal is to educate by creating a new perception of geological landscapes, starting with their physical beauty and then building on scientific research in co-operation with arts, in order to improve what we know about their problems and weaknesses, and addressing their culture and their other strengths as well.

The territories of the Valmarecchia and Montefeltro historical region have been investigated as emblematic expressions of dynamic landscapes that constantly change through time and as a consequence of human activities. Geosites of the study area represent different activity levels and periods, as some of the sites are related to anthropic activities and have witnessed the human population for decades, centuries and, for some of them, millennia. The continuous man-land interaction manifests as a wide assortment of spectacular fragments of landscape that witness destructive landslides, floods, unfortunate climate changes, mining operations and human exploitation of natural resources. The geomorphological interpretative basis has been settled for the promotion of Valmarecchia and Montefeltro geoheritage, in particular in terms of geotourism, as an example of Geomorphological Landscape. This last, according to Reynard & Panizza (2005), indicates a landscape made up of a composition of evidence and terrestrial forms closely interconnected by a network of genetic and functional relationships. The promotion has also been made by focusing on existing and newly proposed geosites as the best places for the transmission and dissemination of geological aspects, possibly through first-hand experience (i.e., guided excursions that aim to involve the user not only from a notional point of view but also from an emotional one) to better convey the content to be communicated. Three already known geosites and one new proposed geosite have been selected to carry out an educational geotouristic project named Paesaggeo. The project aims to engage a broad public sensitive to the themes of geology and natural environments, using digital tools and propose geologically themed treks in the selected geosites. Four different modes have been drafted and tested for each geosite, experimenting different approaches to communicate the same content. The purpose is to get the public closer to geological, geomorphological and geoheritage concepts, which are always connected to the naturalistic, biological and cultural heritage, and develop tourism promotion strategies based on geological heritage. Our goals are: lead locals and tourists to a greater understanding of natural phenomena and their typical time scales; spread knowledge about dynamic landscapes and natural, geological and hydrological risks to a broad public; promote an integrated form of slow tourism, which enhances the relationship between natural processes and populations through time.Reynard E., & Panizza M. (2005). Geomorphosites: definition, assessment and mapping. An introduction. Géomorphologie: relief, processus, environnement, 11(3), 177-180. https://doi.org/10.4000/geomorphologie.337

The North-Marchean Apennines (central Italy) host an extraordinary geological and geomor-phological heritage, significant for its richness, diversity, rarity, scientific interest, aesthetic ap-peal, naturalistic, cultural, and educational values. The area, which covers 600 square kilometres and includes numerous spectacular geosites, embraces 18 municipalities in the provinces of Pesaro-Urbino and Ancona. These municipalities are distributed along the ridge that includes the peaks of Mts. Strega, Catria, Acuto, Petrano, Tenetra and Nerone and covers the parallel ridge of Mts. Paganuccio-Pietralata, together with the spectacular Furlo Gorge. It is a real geological museum outdoors, which, with its continuous stratigraphic succession of 200 million years, its geosites, and a vast system of karstic caves, is distinctive for geologists all over the world. This study aims to analyse the environmental heritage of the North-Marchean Apennines through the integrated study and description of the geo-environmental aspects of 7 geosites, se-lected from a list of 44, presented here and localized. These 7 geosites were chosen as being par-ticularly significant from a scientific, naturalistic as well as aesthetic, and cultural point of view. The richness of its geological and geomorphological heritage and the great wealth of its naturalistic, historical, and cultural aspects make it an area with high educational, tourist and recreational potential.