The Geological and Landslides Museum of Civita di Bagnoregio (Central Italy)

Abstract

The present paper reports on the activities conducted since 2008, within the International Programme on Landslides (IPL), for the realisation of the Geological and Landslides Museum of Civita di Bagnoregio (Central Italy) (IPL project 106-1). The town of Civita di Bagnoregio (Latium Region, Central Italy), located at the border of the ancient Volsini volcano and placed on a high tuff peak that rests on fragile clay, is a stunning case where the human presence has tried for centuries to hinder the natural degradation of the cliff. It is a paradigm of the men who tries to survive in a hostile environment with an incomparable beauty and nature that wants to take its course dismantling and eroding all reliefs. The Geological and Landslides Museum is a scientific institution introducing visitors to the fundamentals of landslide science, describing the site evolution through the relationship between human being and geomorphological processes in the last millennium and, finally, introducing to the “real museum” that are the ongoing landslides on the cliff and valleys. The visitors will find in the museum many scenic spots that are describing the evolution of territory but, in the meantime, they are encouraged to visit the site and to touch by hand the various geomorphological features of the site. The museum also seeks to develop a culture of resilience to landslide disasters, promoting the site as a “geomorphological park” to study and test innovative monitoring tools, for the benefit of scientific community.