Area Of Rome Research Articles

The effect of climate change and temperature extremes on Aedes albopictus populations: a regional case study for Italy.

The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, has spread widely throughout Italy since its introduction, with significant public health implications. We examine how decadal temperature trends and sub-monthly heatwave events affect its climate-driven geographical distribution and temporal dynamics using a new regional-scale dynamical Aedes model. The model is calibrated using [Formula: see text] years of ovitrap data for Emilia-Romagna and reproduces the vector seasonality and, to a lesser extent, its inter-annual variability. Simulated vector density hotspots overlap with densely populated areas in Rome, Milan, Naples, Foggia, Catania, Palermo, Lecce, Cagliari, Genoa, Turin and large urban centres in Emilia-Romagna. Lower risk is simulated over the Central Apennine mountains and the Alps. At decadal time scale, we simulate a lengthening of the active mosquito season by 0.5-3 weeks per decade, with the vector becoming homodynamic in southern Italy. Depending on the climatic setting, heatwaves can increase or reduce vector populations and, in some locations, can temporarily decrease mosquito populations. Such decreases can be followed by a population rebound and overshoot. Given the model's skill in reproducing key spatio-temporal Ae. albopictus features, there is potential to develop an early warning system to inform control efforts at a national scale.

Regenerative and innovative processes in the urban and peri-urban area of the city of Rome

Rome stands out for a fragility that stems from the disordered interpenetration of its rural soul with its urban agglomeration. The relationship between city and suburbs still appears complicated today and reverberates on the degree of social cohesion of its inhabitants. Bottom-up experimentation projects are being grafted into the extended area of the capital, reviving disused public property, abandoned land, to eliminate degradation especially in fragile contexts, developing regenerative processes of active citizenship. The purpose of the paper is to underline innovative experiences, in the urban and peri-urban area of Rome, pointing out their actions aimed at sharing common values, developing territorial welfare and protecting the environment.

Promoting vaccination for newly arrived migrants: a multistakeholder collaboration pilot

Abstract Access to vaccinations for Newly Arrived Migrants (NAMs) is a critical public health issue. In the context of the project ‘Increased Access for Newly Arrived Migrants-AcToVax4NAM’ (Grant No. 101018349, 3rd EU Health Program), DPHID-SAP and GLOB-ISS conducted a pilot aimed at developing and testing a system pathway to promote and vaccinate NAMs. The pilot began with the creation of a team between researchers from DPHID-SAP and GLOB-ISS, professionals from two services of the Local Health Authority and from a first reception centre (CAS) in Rome area. An integrated knowledge translation approach was used, which facilitated the collaborative development of strategies and actions of the pilot. The team then reached out to other ‘professionals FOR health’ involved in the vaccination process of NAMs, i.e. physicians from Temporarily Present Foreigners (STP) outpatient clinics, General Practitioners and Pediatricians. Between July 2023 and April 2024, four actions were developed. 1) analysis of the current access of NAMs to vaccination services and the subsequent development of a contextualized pathway to facilitate vaccinations for NAMs, including catch-up strategies; 2) identification of informed consent and other materials needed to be included in the pathway; subsequently, translated in 10 languages; 3) implementation of vaccine literacy session for CAS staff and NAMs; 4) improvement of immunization information flows to enable assessment of vaccination coverage of NAMs. To evaluate the pilot, the vaccination rate observed during the pilot (January-April 2024) was compared to that occurring in 2023, showing a 36.5-fold increase in the vaccination rate (4 x 100 person-year in 2023 and 155 x 100 p/y in 2024; RR = 36.5 (95%CI 14.6-117.6). The pilot highlighted that a research collaborative approach among various actors facilitated the access to vaccination for NAMs and was an opportunity to turn knowledge into action. Key messages • It is essential to ensure equitable vaccination coverage to reduce under-immunized groups. • Access to vaccination is a key element of the right to health and for collective health protection and it should be a shared responsibility.

Assessment of indoor radon levels at multiple floors of an apartment building in the historic center of Rome (Italy): a comprehensive study

The urbanized area of Rome is largely built over volcanic deposits, characterized by a significant radionuclides content and consequently a high radon emanation potential. An accurate monitoring of workplaces and residential dwellings constitutes a first step towards mitigating the indoor radon exposure. Since radon diffusion dynamics involves complex interactions among many environmental parameters on different time scales, a proper assessment of radon concentration variations can be better achieved by means of active monitoring approaches. We present here the results of 1 year of continuous measurements conducted in six premises (five apartments and a basement) at different floors of the same building in the Esquilino district, in the historical center of Rome. Collecting annual series of radon concentration enables us to identify fluctuations over a seasonal scale, with radon generally decreasing in the warm season. The simultaneous tracking of different floors should cancel the influence of geogenic radon and of building characteristics like age, typology, and construction materials. While the basement shows the highest radon concentration, indicating a major contribution from the ground, we observe indoor radon levels comparable at all the upper floors, questioning the common belief that high-risk exposure be limited to the lowest storeys. The use of active devices makes it possible to discriminate between average indoor radon measured during the day and overnight, when residents are more likely to be at home. Our analysis provides the characterization of the dynamics of the gas emanation and transport inside the buildings and of its temporal fluctuations, in relation to the environmental and meteorological conditions. Since the experiment was performed in the Roman urban contest, we cannot ignore the specificity of the retrieved data, affected not only by endogenous factors like life habits relative to ventilation and conditioning of the apartments, but also by exogenous factors, among which the warmer microclimate compared to the surrounding suburban and rural areas, due to the effects of urbanization (urban heat island effect).

Parish Futsal: A Technical–Educational or Pastoral Challenge? Notes on a Multiple-Case Study in Rome

This article aims to present a multiple-case study of parish sports clubs affiliated with the Centro Sportivo Italiano (a Catholic-inspired sports promotion body), present in the Rome area. The purpose of this research is to explore whether there is a relationship between futsal activities and the parish pastoral project. It was a qualitative study that, after listening to key informants, conducted group interviews with some coaches (13) of the teams linked to the parish. This research brought out what the elements of distance between the sports groups and the parish community are, as well as what the strengths may be for the integration of the sports education project within a pastoral dynamic. Two lines of interpretation of the data in pedagogical-improvement terms were also provided: one of a deductive nature and one of a hermeneutic nature.

Dengue fever as autochthonous infectious disease in Italy: Epidemiological, clinical and virological characteristics

BackgroundSince August to November 2023, 82 cases of autochthonous or non-travel related Dengue virus (DENV) infection have been reported in Italy, highlighting a concerning trend of local transmission. We describe the clinical and laboratory findings of 10 autochthonous DENV in the metropolitan area of Rome admitted to the Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases. Method and resultsTen patients (3 males, 7 females; median age: 51) with classic dengue fever symptoms were admitted between August and November 2023. Laboratory tests confirmed dengue infection through DENV non-structural protein 1 and/or immunoglobulins (IgM/IgG) positive tests, moreover leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, elevated transaminases were detected. A subset of patients underwent extensive biological sampling, including real-time RT-PCR and immunofluorescence, to monitor DENV-RNA and antibody levels over 30 days. DENV-1 was detected in 8 patients and DENV-3 in 2. Upon admission specific IgM antibodies were found in 7 patients while IgG antibodies in 4 patients. DENV RNA was consistently detected in blood within the first 8 days but was less common in saliva and urine. No DENV RNA was detected after day 24. ConclusionThese findings contribute to the understanding of the clinical course of DENV infection in a non-endemic setting as integrated epidemiological and clinical model to increase syndromic surveillance and timely diagnosis of DENV infections.

A Two-Echelon Routing Model for Sustainable Last-Mile Delivery with an Intermediate Facility: A Case Study of Pharmaceutical Distribution in Rome

This paper introduces a two-echelon optimization model for the integrated routing of an electric vehicle (EV) and a traditional internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV) in an urban environment. The scientific context of this study is sustainable urban logistics. The case study focuses on the distribution of pharmaceuticals in the metropolitan area of Rome. Distributing pharmaceuticals in large cities presents significant challenges, including heavy traffic congestion, the need for strict temperature control, and the maintenance of the integrity and timely delivery of sensitive medications. Furthermore, the complexity of urban logistics and adherence to regulatory requirements introduce additional layers of difficulty. Therefore, the implementation of fast and sustainable distribution mechanisms is crucial in this context. Specifically, the model seeks to minimize both total CO2 emissions and transportation costs while optimizing the use of an EV and an ICEV, all while ensuring that service level requirements are met. Computational results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in improving the sustainability of pharmaceutical distribution.

Chagas Disease in the Non-Endemic Area of Rome, Italy: Ten Years of Experience and a Brief Overview.

Chagas disease (CD) is a parasitic infection endemic in Latin America and also affects patients in Western countries due to migration flows. This has a significant impact on health services worldwide due to its high morbidity and mortality burden. This paper aims to share our experience at the National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani", IRCCS, in Rome, Italy, where to date, a total of 47 patients-mainly Bolivian women-diagnosed with CD have received treatment with benznidazole, with all but one presenting with chronic disease. Most of the patients were recruited through the first extensive screening program held in 2014 at our Institute. About a quarter of our patients showed adverse effects to benznidazole, including a case of severe drug-induced liver injury, but 83% completed a full course of treatment. In addition to the description of our cohort, the paper reports a brief overview of the disease compiled through a review of the existing literature on CD in non-endemic countries. The growing prevalence of CD in Western countries highlights the importance of screening at-risk populations and urges public concern and medical awareness about this neglected tropical disease. There are still many unanswered questions that need to be addressed to develop a personalized approach in treating patients.

Experimenting urban living lab methodology on circular economy co-design activities in some Italian urban territories

The Urban Living Lab (ULL) is both a methodology and a place where different actors of a territory can collaborate with the aim of urban transformation and sustainable development. This paper briefly introduces a methodological framework, that combines stakeholder engagement and co-design process on Circular Economy (CE) ideas and projects. The structure of the methodological framework foresees four main phases: scouting and analysis of the territorial context, listening and exploration, participation and execution. The main objective of this paper focuses on the application and experimentation of the same ULL methodology framework in four different Italian urban territories (Anguillara Sabazia in the metropolitan area of Rome, Bologna, Taranto and Venosa, a small town in southern Italy), to highlight how the ULL is an effective approach for stakeholder engagement and co-design processes aiming to the transition toward CE. The discussion section of the four ULL cases highlights the main results of the co-design process: the ideation of project proposals of CE activities suitable for implementation in the reference urban territories. The four ULL cases have shown how the same methodological steps can be applied in urban areas with different geographical, territorial and socio-economic characteristics, with comparable results in terms of activating processes of engagement and co-design within the communities living there. In conclusion, experimenting the proposed methodological framework in each of the four urban areas, despite their differing characteristics, it has stimulated the growth of cultural capital and community ties. This was achieved through the exchange of different skills and the collaborative contributions of multidisciplinary teams, resulting in increased collective awareness.

Nature-based solutions for monitoring the impact of vehicular particulate matter and for the preventive conservation of the Palatine Hill archaeological site in Rome, Italy

Magnetic and chemical biomonitoring methodologies were applied to the southern slopes of the Palatine Hill archaeological area in Rome, Italy. Plant leaves and lichen transplants were respectively sampled and exposed between July 2022 and June 2023 to assess the impact of vehicular particulate matter from Via dei Cerchi, a trafficked road coasting Circus Maximus, towards the archaeological area upon the Palatine Hill. The magnetic properties of leaves and lichens, inferred from magnetic susceptibility, hysteresis loops and first order reversal curves, were combined with the concentration of trace elements. It was demonstrated that the bioaccumulation of magnetite-like particles, associated with tracers of vehicular emissions, such as Ba and Sb, decreased with longitudinal distance from the road, without any important influence of elevation from the ground. Lichens demonstrated to be more efficient biomonitors of airborne PM than leaves, irrespective of the plant species. Conversely, leaves intercepted and accumulated all PM fractions, including road dusts and resuspended soil particles. Thus, plant leaves are suitable for providing preventive conservation services that limit the impact of particulate pollution on cultural heritage sites within busy metropolitan contexts.

The Drawn Garden: Historical, Iconographical and Representative Analysis through Time of the “Villa Di Livia” in Rome

“Villa di Livia” at Prima Porta is an archaeological complex located in the suburban area of Rome. This villa was built in 39-38 B.D. at the behest of Livia Drusilla Claudia, the wife of Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus. The discovery of this complex took place in 1863 and brought to light several archaeological finds: one of particular aesthetic value are the frescoes with naturalistic motifs, where the attention to detail, the pictorial technique and the variety of flora and fauna make it one of the most famous examples of Roman garden motif painting. The aim of this research is to analyse the wall fresco decoration of the Villa. The investigation is historical, iconographic-representational and symbolic, in order to understand -on the one hand- the origin of these frescoes and the motivations that led to the choice of this particular type of representation and -on the other hand- to study the decorative, perspective and colouring techniques. The work will try not to exclude the analysis of the fact that the architecture and the decorative apparatus are -currently- in different locations, which is certainly a benefit from the point of view of restoration and conservation, but may have an impact on the perception of the frescoes.

Square-grid sampling to address the vegetation patterns of declined Mediterranean forest ecosystems

Palo Laziale Wood is a relatively small biotope (129 ha) situated along the coast of the Metropolitan Area of Rome, Lazio region, Italy. Despite being one of the region's remaining patches of an ancient oak floodplain broad-leaved forest, it conserves numerous priority habitats and species of high conservation interest. The vegetation consists mainly of Turkey oak stands with small temporary ponds and flooded meadows. The forest underwent a dieback in 2003, triggered by a significantly hot and dry summer. In 2018, an ecological restoration project (LIFE PRIMED LIFE17 NAT/GR/000511) was initiated to restore Palo Laziale’s ecosystems. This paper presents the methodological approach employed to assess the vegetation ecology of a degraded forest ecosystem. Such an investigation was a key component of the Adaptative Restoration Plan of the Project. It provided the baseline necessary for designing and calibrating the planned direct conservation actions on the target habitat types (91M0: Pannonian-Balkanic turkey oak-sessile oak forests, 3170*: Mediterranean temporary ponds, 5230*: Arborescent matorral with Laurus nobilis, etc.) and establishing reference values to enable long-term monitoring. Plant taxa comparison from 1 ha square-grid sampling and multivariate analyses were carried out to group species and identify environmental and Ellenberg-based drivers. Six ecologically distinct units were found, eventually confirming the distinctive ecological heterogeneity of Mediterranean ecosystems. Amongst these, the hygrophilous vegetation has resulted to be the one mainly affected by the dieback outbreak. Due to the high heterogeneity, introduced by the massive tree mortality, the method of regular 1 ha squares turned out to be a reliable alternative to random vegetation sampling plots (e.g., phytosociological relevés) to disentangle ecological patterns of fragmented and disturbed habitats.

What lies beneath? Brief history of exploration of volcanic lacustrine beds in the metropolitan area of Rome (central Italy)

[Article in Italian] Cosa c’è sotto? Breve storia dell’esplorazione dei fondali dei laghi vulcanici dell’area metropolitana di Roma Capitale (Italia centrale)

Temporary Seismic Network in the Metropolitan Area of Rome (Italy): New Insight on an Urban Seismology Experiment

Abstract This study presents data and preliminary analysis from a temporary seismic network (SPQR), which was deployed in the urban area of Rome (Italy) for three months in early 2021. The network was designed to investigate the city’s subsurface while evaluating the feasibility of a permanent urban seismic network, and consisted of 24 seismic stations. Despite significant anthropogenic noise, the SPQR network well recorded earthquake signals, revealing clear spatial variability referable to site effects. In addition, the network’s continuous recordings allowed the use of seismic noise and earthquake signals to derive spectral ratios at sites located in different geological and lithological settings. During the experiment, there were periods of activity restrictions imposed on citizens to limit the spread of COVID-19. Although the observed power spectral density levels at stations may not show visible noise reductions, they do cause variations in calculated spectral ratios across measurement sites. Finally, a statistical noise analysis was conducted on continuous seismic station data to evaluate their performance in terms of detection threshold for earthquakes. The results indicate that all network stations can effectively record earthquakes with a good signal-to-noise ratio (≥5 for P and S phases) in the magnitude range of 1.9–3.3 at distances of 10 km and 80 km, respectively. In addition, the network has the potential to record earthquakes of magnitude 4 up to 200 km, covering areas in Central Italy that are far from the city. This analysis shows that it is possible to establish urban observatories in noisy cities such as Rome, where hazard studies are of particular importance due to the high vulnerability (inherent fragility of its monumental heritage) and exposure.

From Wayfinding to Placefinding Orientation and Alterity in Urban Spaces

In the semiotic theory, the city is considered as a text, a weaving made of practices, ideas, discourses. This leads to questions about the dialectic between identity and alterity, which is often left aside by the design theories, that mainly focus on identity. What we call ‘identity of a place’ is its ability to synthetize the diversities that populate it. This paper presents some reflections based on the following scientific hypothesis: the in-depth study of orientation systems can also lead to the definition of the character of an urban space. Orientation systems should be thought not only to help people finding their destination, but also to build the user’s mental image of that place, making it recognizable and identifiable. The first objective of the research is to question both the environmental complexity and the cultural multiplicity of a place. To reach this objective, the adopted methodology has been the observation and analysis of an urban area in Rome, Ostiense.

Concentrations of Potentially Toxic Elements in Topsoils of Urban Agricultural Areas of Rome

Urban agricultural soils have important social, environmental, and economic roles in big cities, contributing to their sustainability. However, food production in urban soils may be compromised due to soil pollution that resulted from decades of industrial, non-regulated environmental activity and mobile transport. In this study, 12 soils from the urban agricultural area of Rome (Italy) were analyzed for the potentially toxic elements (PTEs) Be, Ba, Pb, Co, Ni, V, Zn, Hg, Cd, As, Cu, and Cr. All but one of the soils under analysis were characterized by at least one PTE concentration above the threshold limit defined by the D.Lgs 152/06 for agricultural soils. Multivariate analysis showed that the soils could be classified into five clusters: clusters I and II had relatively lower mean PTE concentrations; clusters III, IV, and V had relatively higher mean PTE concentrations with several PTE concentrations above the threshold proposed by ILD. Three factors contributing to the variability of the PTE’s concentration in the soils under investigation were identified: a geological factor related to PTE As, Ba, Be, and V; an anthropogenic factor related to Pb and Cu; and a mixed factor related to Co, Cr, Ni, and Zn. High PTE content may limit the utilization of urban soils for food production.

Ground spiders (Chelicerata, Araneae) of an urban green space: intensive sampling in a protected area of Rome (Italy) reveals a high diversity and new records to the Italian territory.

Urbanisation is a rapidly growing global phenomenon leading to habitat destruction, fragmentation and degradation. However, urban areas can offer opportunities for conservation, particularly through the presence of green spaces which can even provide important habitats for imperilled species. Spiders, which play crucial roles in ecosystem functioning, include many species that can successfully exploit urban environments. Placed in the middle of the Mediterranean global biodiversity hotspot, Italy possesses an exceptionally rich spider fauna, yet comprehensive data on urban spider communities are still limited. More information on urban spiders in Italy would be extremely beneficial to support conservation efforts, especially in central and southern Italy, where knowledge on the spider fauna is largely incomplete. The current study focused on the spider diversity of a large protected area (Appia Antica Regional Park) in urban Rome, Italy. A total of 120 spider species belonging to 83 genera and 28 families were identified, with 70 species being new records to the Province of Rome, 39 to the Latium Region and two (Pelecopsisdigitulus Bosmans & Abrous, 1992 and Palliduphantesarenicola (Denis, 1964)) to Italy.Forty-one species were recorded during autumn/winter sampling and 107 in spring/summer. The spider fauna recorded from the study area included about 37% of the total spider fauna known from the Province of Rome, 28% of that of the Latium Region and 7% of the entire Italian territory. The most represented families in terms of species richness were Gnaphosidae and Linyphiidae, which accounted for more than 40% of the sampled fauna. Lycosidae were the most abundant family (29% of captured individuals), followed by Zodariidae (16% of captured individuals), Linyphiidae (13% of captured individuals) and Gnaphosidae (7.5% of captured individuals). From a biogeographical point of view, most of the collected species belonged to chorotypes that extend for large areas across Europe and the Mediterranean. The research highlights the role of urban green spaces as refuges for spiders and the importance of arachnological research in urban areas as sources of information on spider biodiversity at larger scales.

Aqua Alexandrina and Fragole cistern: characterization of mortars from Roman constructions, Rome (Italy)

Aqua Alexandrina is the last aqueduct built by ancient Romans for the city of Rome. At Giovanni Palatucci Park, the archaeological ruins run close to a pre-existent water system, Fragole cistern. This research aims at characterizing mortar samples from both constructions, to identify the materials used and infer about the technological level and the provenance of materials, using a multi-analytical approach. Combining the information obtained through the petrographic investigation of mortar thin sections at optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray powder diffraction on finely powdered samples and thermogravimetric analysis on the binder fraction, it was possible to attest the presence of both artificial and natural materials with pozzolanic behavior, which conferred hydraulicity to the mortars. The results show that materials are very similar in both constructions, confirming a well-established know-how in the production of hydraulic mortars by the Romans. The volcanic products used as aggregate are identified with two large pyroclastic-flow deposits erupted by the Colli Albani Volcanic District which extensively crop out in the area of Rome: Pozzolane Rosse and Pozzolanelle.

A Methodological Proposal for the Design of Agricultural Parks—The Case of Metropolitan City of Rome

Urbanisation processes have led to the emergence of functional and formal hybrids, blurring and fragmenting the traditional boundaries between urban and rural areas. Agricultural parks have emerged as a planning tool to govern these hybrid areas between ‘countryside’ and the ‘city’, as well as to promote sustainable land use and community development. This paper, analysing the Metropolitan City of Rome (Italy) as a case study, illustrates an innovative pilot methodology for identifying the area of an Agricultural Park and, in particular, the area of the Rome Metropolitan Agricultural Park (MAP), a policy proposal for the metropolitan city. The aim of the article is twofold: to analyse the multifunctionality of farms in the periurban area of Rome to highlight the types of goods and services on which the relationship between farms and the metropolitan population is based and to expose the methodological path on which the MAP policy proposal was developed. A geospatial analysis, using the National Land Consumption Map (LCM) and the CORINE Land Cover (CLC), highlights the main agricultural areas and evaluates their quality. Isochronous curves assess the accessibility, and the GHS population grid (GHS-POP) defines the catchment areas. This approach, building on the 15 min city framework, has analysed the multifunctional farms and the types of goods and services offered to the population. A total of 91,656 hectares were identified as potential geographical areas of the Metropolitan Agricultural Park that could serve nearly 1 million inhabitants between rural and urban areas of Rome. The research highlights its characteristics in terms of the role of multifunctional farms, Alternative Food Networks, and the relationships between consumers and producers.

Cultural heritage attractors: does spatial configuration matter? Applications of macro- and micro-spatial configurative analysis in the historic urban area of Rome

Top world heritage artifacts act as pedestrian flow attractors in historic urban areas. Despite the growing literature on pedestrian movement in cities, evidence of the relationship between cultural attractors and the spatial characteristics of street spaces between these artifacts is scarce. This contribution applies the theory of natural movement and uses diachronic space syntax and micro-spatial analysis to investigate the reciprocities between street networks and the presence of global heritage attractors in the historic urban area of Rome. The results from the macro-scale spatial analyses show good correlations between the current most popular cultural attractors and the global integration of the street network. The degree of spatial integration of the street network is particularly important at the time of construction of important artifacts, as shown in the diachronic analyses. City growth and urban transformation can affect the central position of these important artifacts. However, in the case of highly attractive artifacts, these continue to perform as movement attractors. The result of a local neighbourhood investigation shows that micro-spatial parameters, such as the spatial relationships between building entrances and streets, may influence the choice of routes between important artifacts. Thus, the flows of people’s movement can be influenced by both micro-spatial street characteristics and spatial configuration.