Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction to the Landscapes and Landforms of Italy (Mauro Soldati).- Part I: Physical Environment.- Chapter 2. The Great Diversity of Italian Landscapes and Landforms: Their Origin and Human Imprint (Mauro Marchetti).- Chapter 3. Outline of the Geology of Italy (Alfonso Bosellini).- Chapter 4. The Climate of Italy (Simona Fratianni).- Chapter 5. Morphological Regions of Italy (Paola Fredi).- Part II: Landscapes and Landforms. Chapter 6. The Glaciers of the Valle d’Aosta and Piemonte Regions: Records of Present and Past Environmental and Climate Changes (Marco Giardino).- Chapter 7. Landscapes of Northern Lombardy: From the Glacial Scenery of Upper Valtellina to the Prealpine Lacustrine Environment of Lake Como (Irene Bollati).- Chapter 8. The Adamello-Presanella and Brenta Massifs, Central Alps: Contrasting High-mountain Landscapes and Landforms (Alberto Carton).- Chapter 9. Large Ancient Landslides in Trentino, Northeastern Alps, as Evidence of Post-glacial Dynamics (Alberto Carton).- Chapter 10. The Dolomite Landscape of the Alta Badia (Northeastern Alps): A Remarkable Record of Geological and Geomorphological History (Mauro Marchetti).- Chapter 11. The Vajont Valley (Eastern Alps): A Complex Landscape Deeply Marked by Landsliding (Alessandro Pasuto).- Chapter 12. Karst Landforms in Friuli Venezia Giulia: From Alpine to Coastal Karst (Franco Cucchi).- Chapter 13. The Tagliamento River: The Fluvial Landscape and Long-term Evolution of a Large Alpine Braided River (Nicola Surian).-Chapter 14. Lake Garda: An Outstanding Archive of Quaternary Geomorphological Evolution (Carlo Baroni).- Chapter 15. Geomorphological Processes and Landscape Evolution of the Lagoon of Venice (Aldino Bondesan).- Chapter16. The Po Delta Region: Depositional Evolution, Climate Change and Human Intervention Through the Last 5,000 Years (Marco Stefani).- Chapter 17. Landscapes and Landforms Driven by Geological Structures in the Northwestern Apennines (Luisa Pellegrini).- Chapter18. Fingerprints of Large-scale Landslides in the Landscape of the Emilia Apennines (Giovanni Bertolini).- Chapter 19. Mud Volcanoes in the Emilia-Romagna Apennines: Small Landforms of Outstanding Scenic and Scientific Value (Doriano Castaldini).- Chapter 20. The Outstanding Terraced Landscape of the Cinque Terre Coastal Slopes (Eastern Liguria) (Pierluigi Brandolini).- Chapter 21. Tuscany Hills and Valleys: Uplift, Exhumation, Valley Downcutting and Relict Landforms (Mauro Coltorti).- Chapter 22. Landscapes and Landforms of the Duchy of Urbino in Italian Renaissance Paintings (Olivia Nesci).- Chapter 23. Rocky Cliffs Joining Velvet Beaches: The Northern Marche Coast (Daniele Savelli).- Chapter 24. The Typical Badlands Landscapes Between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Tiber River (Maurizio Del Monte).- 25. The Tuff Cities: A ‘Living Landscape’ at the Border of Volcanoes in Central Italy (Claudio Margottin).- Chapter 26. A Route of Fire in Central Italy: The Latium Ancient Volcanoes (PaolaFredi).- Chapter 27. Relief, Intermontane Basins and Civilization in the Umbria-Marche Apennines: Origin and Life by Geological Consent (Marta Della Seta).- Chapter 28. The Terminillo, Gran Sasso and Majella Mountains: The ‘Old Guardians’ of the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic Seas (Tommaso Piacentini).- Chapter 29. Aeternae Urbis Geomorphologia - Geomorphology of Rome, Aeterna Urbs (Maurizio Del Monte).- Chapter 30. Granite Landscapes of Sardinia: Long-term Evolution of Scenic Landforms (Rita T. Melis).- Chapter 31. The Coastal Dunes of Sardinia: Landscape Response to Climate and Sea Level Changes (Rita T. Melis).- Chapter 32. The Terrestrial and Submarine Landscape of the Tremiti Archipelago, Adriatic Sea (Enrico Miccadei).- Chapter 33. Vesuvius and Campi Flegrei: Volcanic History, Landforms and Impact on Settlements (Pietro P.C. Aucelli).- Chapter 34. Sorrento Peninsula and Amalfi Coast: The Long-term History of an Enchanting Promontory (Aldo Cinque).- Chapter 35. The Coastal Landscape ofCilento (Southern Italy): A challenge for Protection and Tourism Valorisation (Alessio Valente).- Chapter 36. The Salento Peninsula (Apulia, Southern Italy): A Water-shaped Landscape Without Rivers (Giuseppe Mastronuzzi).- Chapter 37. The Landscape of the Aspromonte Massif: A Geomorphological Open-air Laboratory (Gaetano Robustelli).- Chapter 38. Volcanic Landforms and Landscapes of the Aeolian Islands (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Sicily): Implications for Hazard Evaluation (Federico Lucchi).- Chapter 39. Geomorphology of the Capo San Vito Peninsula (NW Sicily): An Example of Tectonically and Climatically Controlled Landscape (Valerio Agnesi).- Chapter 40. Landforms and Landscapes of Mount Etna (Sicily): Relationships Between a Volcano, its Environment and Human Activity (Stefano Branca).- Chapter 41. Pantelleria Island (Strait of Sicily): Volcanic History and Geomorphological Landscape (Silvio G. Rotolo).- Part III: Geoheritage.- Chapter 42. Geoheritage in Italy (Maria Cristina Giovagnoli).- Chapter 43. Geomorphodiversity in Italy: Examples from the Dolomites, Northern Apennines and Vesuvius (Mario Panizza).- Chapter 44. Goethe’s Italian Journey and the Geological Landscape (Paola Coratza).- Chapter 45. Wine Landscapes of Italy (Vincenzo Amato).

About the Author

Mauro Soldati is an Associate Professor of Geomorphology at the Faculty of Sciences of Modena and Reggio Emilia University.  He carries out basic and applied research activity in the field of Geomorphology. Lately he has concentrated his activities on the relationships between slope instability processes and Late Pleistocene and Holocene climatic changes in the Alps. In this respect, he was National Coordinator of a national Project Geomorphological evolution of slopes and climate changes: landslide analysis and paleoclimatic reconstructions. He previously participated in numerous Italian and European research projects.
He has authored over 140 publications. He teaches Geomorphology and Geological Risks and Civil Protection in the degree courses in Geological Sciences. He was also a teacher in the intensive courses of the “European School of Climatology and Natural Hazards” of the EC. He is Socrates/Erasmus Coordinator since 1999. He is a Member of the Executive Committee of the International Association of Geomorphologists since 2001 and of the Editorial Boards of the journals Geomorphology, Landform Analysis, The Open Geology Journal, Finisterra, Cuaternario y Geomorfología and Geografia Fisica e Dinamica Quaternaria.

Mauro Marchetti graduated in Geology in 1983 with the highest honors from the University of Modena.
He is a qualified geologist (Bologna, 1987) and obtained a PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of Milan in 1992. He is a winner of a two-year scholarship for post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Milan ( 1993–1994). He was the winner of the competition for the post of Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural D02 group D02: the Physical Geography, Geomorphology and Geology, Physical Geography and Geomorphology subsector (1994).
Obtained the title of Associate Professor in November 2001 for Physical Geography and Geomorphology.

Mauro Marchetti hasgiven numerous courses on geomorphological topics on varying levels at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. Currently, he teaches in Physical Geography and Geomorphology of Geological Sciences, Natural Sciences, Primary Education and Cultural Heritage in degree courses. He has written about ninety publications on geomorphological mapping, geomorphology of rivers and Environmental Impact Assessment.