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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to offer a critical examination of the aftermath of the L'Aquila earthquake of 6 April 2009. It considers the elements of the recovery process that are unique or exceptional and endeavours to explain them. Design/methodology/approach: The analysis is based on a survey and synthesis of the abundant literature on the disaster, coupled with observations from the author's many visits to L'Aquila and personal involvement in the debates on the questions raised during the aftermath. Findings: Several aspects of the disaster are unique. These include the use of large, well-appointed buildings as temporary accommodation and the efforts to use legal processes to obtain justice for alleged mismanagement of both the early emergency situation and faults in the recovery process. Research limitations/implications: Politics, history, economics and geography have conspired to make the L'Aquila disaster and its aftermath a multi-layered event that poses considerable challenges of interpretation. Practical implications: The L'Aquila case teaches first that moderate seismic events can entail a long and difficult process of recovery if the initial vulnerability is high. Second, for processes of recovery to be rational, they need to be safeguarded against the effects of political expediency and bureaucratic delay. Social implications: Many survivors of the L'Aquila disaster have been hostages to fortune, victims as much of broader political and socio-economic forces than of the earthquake itself. Originality/value: Although there are now many published analyses of the L'Aquila disaster, as the better part of a decade has elapsed since the event, there is value in taking stock and making a critical assessment of developments. The context of this disaster is dynamic and extraordinarily sophisticated, and it provides the key to interpretation of developments that otherwise would probably seem illogical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trial and conviction of seven public officials in L'Aquila, central Italy, for having allegedly given out misleading and incorrect information to the public before the 6 April 2009 earthquake has proved to be one of the most momentous developments of recent times in science and disaster risk reduction-and also one of the most misunderstood. It highlights the difficulty in transforming the findings of the earth sciences, which are often characterised by uncertainty, into information that can be used to protect ordinary citizens. This paper describes those elements of the disaster at L'Aquila which are pertinent to the trial and the legal proceedings that followed them. It analyses the political, social and scientific context of the trial, and the reaction of scientists and their institutions in Italy and other countries. I conclude that the defendants were tried as responsible public officials, not as scientists. The mass media in Italy and abroad tended to insist that what was on trial was the ability to predict earthquakes, and this had an enormous influence on the opinion of scientists in many different places. However, the trial was actually about the apparently fatal consequences of misleading the public with 'incomplete, imprecise and contradictory information', as the prosecutors put it. I believe that much of the international reaction to the trial was misguided because it was based on incomplete, second-hand information about the proceedings. If scientists were to make judgements on their own work in such a superficial manner, the results would be highly unreliable and public faith in science would plummet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper describes the impact of the earthquake that struck the central Italian city of L'Aquila on 6 April 2009, killing 308 people and leaving 67 500 homeless. The pre-impact, emergency, and early recovery phases are discussed in terms of the nature and effectiveness of government policy. Disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Italy is evaluated in relation to the structure of civil protection and changes wrought by both the L'Aquila disaster and public scandals connected with the misappropriation of funds. Six of the most important lessons are derived from this analysis and related to DRR needs both in Italy and elsewhere in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a survey of municipalities in the Italian Region of Lombardy. A questionnaire was employed to ascertain the nature, objectives, and user base of emergency preparedness training courses, and also the scope of demand for additional training. It was commissioned by the Lombardy Advanced School of Civil Protection and administered by Ancitel Lombardia, the regional branch of the Italian Association of Municipal Governments. The paper describes the hazard situation in Lombardy, which is Italy’s largest region and one of its most diverse and densely populated. It also delineates the organization of civil protection training and education at the regional level. The questionnaire is described and its results are presented with respect to different sectors of enquiry: emergency planning, the organization of local civil protection services, courses offered, training priorities, nature of the principal trainees and projected role of the regional Advanced School. The results indicate strong future demand for training courses and a large number—nearly 600—of courses that are already offered. They also show a concentration on emergency response, and a secondary emphasis on emergency planning, especially as used to counter natural hazards. Student populations are largely envisaged to be municipal employees and volunteer civil protection workers. The survey reveals that the municipalities look to the Regional Government for support and guidance in the field of civil protection training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traces the diffusion and geographical variations of pasta production across Italy. Elements of regional pasta making in Italy; Morphological classification of pasta types; Impact of commercial forces on regional traditions in Italian pasta.

Val-di-Chiana, a fertile alluvial valley in north-central Tuscany, was extensively settled by the Etruscans and Romans, but stream gradients were insufficient to prevent the floodplain from turning into a silty wetland after deforestation and tectonic uplift had accelerated the rate of sedimentation by tributary streams. Malarial infestation began in Etruscan times with the inception of marshes and became serious during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, when the wetlands extended over 140 sq. km. Drainage modification was first suggested during the 1300s, and by 1500 had become an important land reclamation strategy in the valley. An artificial channel, the Canal Maestro, was eventually dug in order to reverse the direction of drainage from southward into the River Tiber to northward into the Arno. At the same time tributary streams were canalized, and artificial drainage divides and walled sediment traps, known as colmate, were constructed. Many eminent men were involved in the debate over the best strategy for land reclamation in Val-di-Chiana. Among them was Count Vittorio Fossombroni, who superintended completion of the Canal Maestro in 1840 and wrote an important monograph on the history of Val-di-Chiana, which also contributed to the development of theoretical geomorphology and hydrometric instrumentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the author's reflections about Venice, Italy. Account of related literature; Journey of the author to Venice in 1987; Manuscripts gathered by the author.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) has highlighted the link between public healthcare and the broader context of operational response to complex crises. Data are needed to support the work of the emergency services and enhance governance. This study develops a Europe-wide analysis of perceptions, needs and priorities of the public affected by the Covid-19 emergency. An online multilingual survey was conducted from mid-May until mid-July 2020. The questionnaire investigates perceptions of public healthcare, emergency management and societal resilience. In total, N = 3029 valid answers were collected. They were analysed both as a whole and focusing on the most represented countries (Italy, Romania, Spain and the United Kingdom). Our findings highlight some perceived weaknesses in emergency management that are associated with the underlying vulnerability of the global interconnected society and public healthcare systems. The spreading of the epidemic in Italy represented a 'tipping point' for perceiving Covid-19 as an 'emergency' in the surveyed countries. The respondents uniformly suggested a preference for gradually restarting activities. We observed a tendency to ignore the cascading effects of Covid-19 and possible concurrence of threats. Our study highlights the need for practices designed to address the next phases of the Covid-19 crisis and prepare for future systemic shocks. Cascading effects that could compromise operational capacity need to be considered more carefully. We make the case for the reinforcement of cross-border coordination of public health initiatives, for standardization in business continuity management, and for dealing with the recovery at the European level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]