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The urban landscape of Rome: a mixture of geomorphological and cultural

heritage

Conference Paper · October 2016

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5 authors, including:

Maurizio Del Monte Paola Fredi

Sapienza University of Rome Sapienza University of Rome
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Gian Marco Luberti Alessia Pica

Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) Sapienza University of Rome
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 The urban landscape of Rome: a mixture of
geomorphological and cultural heritage

Del Monte M*., Fredi P.*, Luberti G. M.°, Pica A.*, Vergari F.*
*
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università Sapienza, Roma
°ISPRA – Dipartimento stato dell’ambiente e metrologia ambientale, Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca
Ambientale, Roma, Italy

The last two centuries testify that mankind is radically reshaping the Earth surface;. it is deeply
evident in the most urbanized areas of the world. In Europe most of the cities are characterized by
centuries of urbanization, and millennia in the case of Rome.
Long lasting geomorphological investigations have allowed the geomorphological description of the
city centre and the valorization of its geomorphological heritage.
Man-made layering over time has modified the original natural setting of the city and the
paleogeographical conditions prior to its founding are at present hidden by urbanization. A method
aimed at integrating survey data, historical maps, aerial photographs and archaeological and
geomorphological literature allowed to map the geomorphological features of Rome present-day
historical centre. The map reconstructs the paleo-geographical conditions prior to the founding of
the city and records the stages of landscape evolution. The study area has been affected by
continuous man-made changes to the drainage network and to the topographic surface over the last
3000 years. It requested to develop innovative solutions to undertake effective analysis of the urban
environment and the legend of the geomorphological map in this peculiar context. The resulting
map is useful for urban planning and archaeological research, but also for the inventory of the
geosites and geomorphosites.
Rome presents a peculiar mixture of geomorphological features and cultural ones. Lots of sites are
at the same time geologically interesting, geomorphologically significative and culturally attractive,
for example: Tarpeian Rock, on the south slope of Campidoglio Hill, is a fluvial scarp presenting a
stratigraphic interest, and it represents the traitor punishment site during the roman period; Tiberina
Island is a fluvial isle in the Tevere River, its genesis is related to the large amount of materials
transported by the ancient drainage network of the area, it is a symbol of the city and history and
legends tell about the importance of the isle along the centuries; Testaccio Mount is an
anthropogenic landform, it is a hill made of shards that have been coming from the ancient fluvial
port, and the material accumulation reaches 48m of height.
These geomorphosites are transferred to the proposal for a geotourist itinerary, along which the
geomorphosites are joined and related to the historical and cultural features of the city. The
valorization of results also includes geotourist map and a mobile application.

KEY WORDS: Urban Geomorphology, Classification of Urban Landforms, Geomorphosites,

Geotourist itinerary, Rome.

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