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The coastal landscape of the Gaeta Bay, southern Latium (Italy), is the result of a significant tectonic control expressed by a geometric segmentation of the relief and by offsets of the coastline. The structural features derived from this activity are overlain by slope and littoral morphogenetic processes. Tectonic and geomorphic processes performed in a different way along the coastal belt, producing the unequal morphological setting observed in the western and in the eastern sector of the study area. In the western sector, the Aurunci Mts. gradually reach the coast forming cliffs. On them, several emerged and submerged erosional forms such as notches and sea terraces are recognised. Embayments characterized by sandy pocket beaches wide from few hundred meters to over 2 km are in correspondence to some tectonic lines with a clear morphological expression and transversal to the coastline. In the eastern sector, the Aurunci Mts., higher and rich of karstic forms, joint to the coastline in few kilometres due to the accumulation forms developed along valleys deeply cut in the carbonate slopes. The morphological features of the investigated area permitted us to recognize the existence of differential vertical movements along a 30 km-wide coastal area clearly split in two sectors.

The need to produce energy from clean energy sources has caused public administrations and private companies to look for suitable places. The windiness detected in the eastern area of the Matese karst massif (southern Italy) has favored the construction of wind farms to produce electricity from clean energy sources. During the installation of the first wind turbines, some alterations in the supply of drinking water, fed by the springs of this area, were attributed by the population to this installation. Therefore, in order to assess whether there has been an impact produced by the wind farms on the quality of groundwater, a detailed hydrogeological study was developed. Karst hydrogeological features of the area were mapped, focusing on endorheic areas, sinkholes and karst springs. Artificial tracer tests were then carried out to investigate groundwater flow circulation and connection between surface karst landforms and springs. Chemical and physical characteristics of the groundwater were monitored during the construction of the wind farms and, for the following months, by infield measurements and laboratory analysis of spring water samples. This study highlights that wind farms mainly develop along the boundary of endorheic areas, which are important recharge zones for groundwater resources, and are directly connected to the major karst springs through sinkholes and a dense network of karst conduits. The results of the monitoring did not reveal any anomalies in the quality of the water and, therefore, any alterations cannot be attributed to the wind farms. Our investigation appears useful for a better understanding of the possible actual and future effects of the wind farms on both groundwater circulation and spring water quality in this karst area.

In the Taburno-Camposauro Aspiring Geopark (southern Italy), a significant part of the geological history of this stretch of Apennines (a fold and thrust belt formed since the early Neogene) can be read. Inside this area, 44 geosites were identified, described and evaluated. The geosites identification was based on one or more characteristics (geological, geomorphological, hydrogeological, etc.) that were able capturing the observer's interest and telling the geological history of this area. The observations were supported by a scientific characterization based on literature data. Among the most considered parameters, there is the representativeness as geological topic, process, features in the study area. In this sense, it was considered, for example, that the shallow marine limestone outcrops of the middle Cretaceous, with evident polychrome residual fillings, were an element of extreme scientific value. This is confirmed by a vast scientific literature (peer-reviewed papers, geological maps, etc.), which guarantees its uniqueness within the limestone successions of the Apennines. For at least two centuries, these rocks were extracted, and nowadays the worked stones, called improperly "marbles", adorn the monumental buildings not only in Italy (Caserta, Naples, Rome), but also abroad (France, England and even Russia). These features add further educational and touristic value to the geosite. Despite the mining activity, the main topic is almost intact in the quarry, which is easily. Its security, however, should be improved. Another highly representative geosite, due to both its geological significance and scenic value, is the village of Sant'Agata de' Goti. The village is built at the top of a structural terrace shaped on the Campanian Ignimbrite, which is a 39 ky old pyroclastic deposit. After the infilling of the valleys by the Campanian Ignimbrite, the latter was deeply dissected by the hydrographic network, which shaped structural terraces. The Campanian Ignimbrite is considered the result of the largest volcanic explosion in Europe in the last 200,000 years, as highlighted by a large amount of published scientific data. Probably due to its favourable position, this structural terrace was chosen for residential settlements since the 4th century BC. International research about this site is not limited to the geological features, but also to the archaeological and geotechnical ones, and this increases its value for touristic purposes, too. Finally, despite the fact that the new water supply system has drastically changed, the Fizzo Springs still represent the major water source of the aspiring geopark and therefore maintain their intrinsic value. Known for their considerable discharge since Roman times, they were exploited in order to feed the western coastal areas with an impressive aqueducts considered UNESCO World Heritage. In recent decades, the capture of the springs was replaced by a system of wells, so the springs lost a little in their magnificence, even if today they were inserted in a beautiful garden that is easily accessible to everyone. Probably, in a quantitative assessment, these sites would reach the highest value. However, there are others that, due to their geological significance or their visual beauty, constitute an opportunity to become a geopark.

Fractal geometry methods offer a quantitative description of complex landscapes and can effectively elucidate the behavior of fluvial and coastal geomorphological systems. The bidimensional (2D) fractal geometry of a shoreline, obtainable with Koch’s curve method, may be expressed by a fractional number between 1.1 and 1.4. In this case, the former shoreline is less rugged than the latter, which tends to a Peano’s curve with a fractal dimension D = 2, that is a plan. These sizes, under initial analysis, may not supply direct information on the main processes responsible for modeling the coast. Actually, either erosion, sediment deposition, and tectonics could generate shapes with about the same fractal dimension, independently of their intensity, age, and time during which they acted, as a result of morphological convergence. From the results of research carried out along Mediterranean-type and Brazilian coastlands, it is possible to derive, from the fractal dimension, the primary and secondary processes behind modeling. Here distinguishing tectonic events from littoral dynamics, both responsible for coastal morphology and identifying which is predominant. Calculation and comparison of the 2D-fractal analysis over time along the selected littorals are useful for assessing sea storm impacts and tsunami flash remodeling, e.g., as a relationship between dimension and energy, and the post-event shoreline resilience time comparing the fractal dimensions before and after the main events related to the morphosedimentary features. The same principles can be applied to other geomorphological systems, such as dunes, river drainage networks, islands, and lagoons, representing an important tool for understanding and classifying these environments.

The city of Benevento is located in an intramontane Plio-Pleistocene basin of the Campanian Apennines (Southern Italy), at the confluence of the Calore and Sabato Rivers. Most of the city lies on different orders of terraces, while the more recent settlements are located on summits and flanks of hilly relieves. The terraces, as confirmed by both literature and field surveys, have an alluvial origin and a lower Pleistocene to upper Pleistocene age. The substratum of these terraces mainly consists of conglomerates with sandy intercalations. There are also limited outcrops of silty-clayey sequences with sandy-gravelly intercalations, interpreted as results of fluvio-lacustrine sedimentary episodes. The scarps between the different orders were probably smoothed artificially over time, also using the rubble produced by earthquakes, which are still intense in this area. On the slopes that border the recent alluvial plain, landslides are frequent, especially on north-facing slopes. The most recent alluvial terraces are not older than Holocene. The substratum of these terraces consists of gravels and sands with interbedded tephras and paleosols. Currently, the main fluvial landforms are the single‐thread channels with small‐sized bars and fluvial islands of the Calore and Sabato Rivers. The geomorphological analysis, based on GIS-based comparisons of historical maps and aerial photos from different dates and supported by field data, also shows several inactive fluvial landforms, such as abandoned channels, degraded fluvial scarps and summits of river terraces, together with an intense channel narrowing. Probably, the first stable settlements of Benevento, dated back to the Archaic and Classical age, were located on the floodplains of the Sabato and Calore rivers. This allowed the exploitation of water for agro-pastoral purposes. When there was the need to organize more structured settlements, also protected from both frequent floods and military attacks, the population moved upward to the middle-upper Pleistocene aged alluvial terraces. The first settlement was probably built in the 5th century B.C. and subsequently expanded during the Roman and, then, Longobard ages. The water supply in the most elevated areas was made by a series of artificial canals built along the southern slopes of the surveyed area, prepared with suitable terracing. On the northern side, in a recently restored monumental complex dated back to the VI-VII century, the effects of a series of catastrophic events (i.e., floods and earthquakes) that affected this area can be recognized in the materials preserved there. For centuries, a clear subdivision in the land use was maintained. Namely, rural areas were located on the plain and surrounding slopes, while residential areas were located on the most elevated terraces. However, during the twentieth century, a transformation gradually occurred due to a significant demographic increase. The urban environment quickly occupied large agricultural areas, despite the fact that these areas were subject to frequent flooding, which caused extensive damage and even fatalities. In order to protect them, therefore, impressive bank works were carried out on the rivers, but in other cases the lack of care of farmers still makes difficult any recovery and mitigation intervention.