Capo Faro Promontory, located in Salina (Aeolian Islands, southern Italy), is a popular summer destination due to its volcanic morphologies, seaside, and enogastronomy. A flat area, right behind the scarp edge of a coastal cliff, hosts the Capo Faro Estate, one of the most renowned vineyards and residences on Salina Island. The promontory has been characterised in terms of geomorphological features. Remote sensing analysis, after nadir and off–nadir UAV flights, supports the field activities to explore the hazard to which the area is subjected. In particular, the coastal cliff turns out to be affected by a rapid retreat inducing landslides. Therefore, the cliff area has been investigated through a detailed stratigraphic and structural field survey. Using the generated high–resolution Digital Elevation Model, bathymetric–topographic profiles were extracted along the coastline facing the cliff. The thickness of volcanic deposits was evaluated to obtain a geological model of it. The main rock mass discontinuities have been characterised to define the structural features affecting the stability of the rock wall. The obtained results prove the contribution of such research fundamental in planning risk mitigation measures.

This work presents the structural evolution of a poorly studied key-area in the middle Ala Valley, Western Alps, where two tectono-metamorphic units are exposed. A geological map at the 1:10.000 scale, integrated with meso- and microstructural analysis, has been realised. We investigated the contact area between Gran Paradiso Massif in the footwall and Lower Piedmont Zone in the hanging wall. Both tectono-metamorphic units, with a different paleogeographic affinity, preserve similar polyphasic deformation histories, defined by four deformation phases. The Dp phase, strongly transposing previous structural relicts, is marked by a high-pressure assemblage associated with the Sp foliation. Dp controls the lithological boundary attitude. A mylonitic zone, developed during the Dp, showing kinematic indicators pointing to a top-to-the N-NW sense of shear, is responsible for the juxtaposition of the two units. Dp structural elements are deformed by Dp+1 and Dp+2 subsequent phases. A greenschist-facies overprinting was observed during the Dp+1 phase.

The permafrost-based geomorphological map of the Mt. Foscagno – Mt Forcellina ridge (Central Italian Alps) shows the distribution of permafrost probability (high, medium, low probability, and probable absence) obtained by the application of PERMACLIM (Guglielmin et al., 2003), a GIS-based model integrating Digital Elevation Model (DEM) topographic data and the Climatic DataBase (CDB) available from Automatic Weather Stations (AWS). In addition, the map provides information on the outcropping bedrock, the genesis and grain size of near-surface deposits, and geomorphological features with particular reference to periglacial and glacial landforms. Moreover, the map represents locations and values of ground measurements, Bottom Temperature of winter Snow cover (BTS) and Vertical Electric Soundings (VES), and the Mean Annual Air Temperature (MAAT; Guglielmin et al., 2003).

Flood risk in Italy is a key aspect for the administrative authorities, from the national to the local level. This is especially true in Northern Italy, where the Po River, the most important river of the peninsula, and its river basin are located. In North-Western Italy, the Po Basin is described by numerous sub-basins, among which is the Tanaro River basin: here, in the last decades, floods have produced significant damage, causing an increased concern to local and regional administrations. The main goal of this study was to identify suitable sites for the construction of dams, having the function of retention basins, aiming to mitigate the flood risk in the Upper Tanaro Valley. First, using a qualitative approach, suitable sites were identified using available public data provided by regional administrations and field data obtained from geomorphological surveys, later elaborated in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. Several models were then produced using conventional methods to evaluate the hydrological characteristics of the study area and to assess the efficiency of each site in terms of flood water flow rate reduction: the performance was evaluated at control sections chosen in urban areas along the Upper Tanaro Valley. The results show that it is possible to find suitable locations for risk mitigation structures. These models also allowed for a rapid cost-effectiveness evaluation, which led to the definition of the best-performing site. The Upper Tanaro Valley case study here analyzed contributes to proving the importance of an integrated approach based on geomorphological, geo-hydrological, and hydraulic evaluations when dealing with the choice of a flood risk mitigation strategy.

The prediction and prevention of landslide hazard is a challenging topic involving the assessment and quantitative evaluation of several elements: geological and geomorphological setting, rainfalls, and ground motion. This paper presents the multi-approach investigation of the Nevissano landslide (Asti Province, Piedmont, NW Italy). It shows a continuous and slow movement, alongside few paroxysmal events, the last recorded in 2016. The geological and geomorphological models were defined through a field survey. An inventory of the landslide’s movements and rainfall records in the period 2000–2016 was performed, respectively, through archive investigations and the application of “Moving Sum of Daily Rainfall” method, allowing for the definition of rain thresholds for the landslide activation (105 mm and 193 mm, respectively, in 3 and 30 days prior to the event). The displacements over the last 8 years (2016–2023) were monitored through an innovative in-continuum monitoring inclinometric system and Earth Observation (EO) data (i.e., relying on Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, or InSAR data): it gave the opportunity to validate the rainfall thresholds previously defined. This study aims to provide information to public authorities for the appropriate management of the site. Moreover, the proposed workflow could be adopted as a guideline for investigating similar situations.