Interreg Ritmo Project: first public event at Villaggio Cagnola to learn about and prevent hydrogeological risks in the mountain areas of Insubria

On Tuesday 16 June, the first public event of the project ‘Ritmo – Hydrogeological risks and climate change: safeguarding the landscape and cultural heritage in the mountainous territory of Insubria’, funded under the Interreg VI-A Italy-Switzerland Programme 2021-2027 and co-financed by the European Union, the Italian State, the Swiss Confederation and the Canton of Ticino.

The day will be dedicated to the theme “Territory, analysis and training: the case study of Villaggio Cagnola” and will take place in two parts: in the morning at Villaggio Cagnola – Sorgenti dell’Olona, Rasa di Varese, and in the afternoon at the headquarters of the Campo dei Fiori Park, at Via Trieste 40 in Brinzio, with the option to join remotely.

• The registration form is available at the link https://forms.office.com/e/05ZLtBn351

The programme will begin at 9 am at the Director’s House in Villa Cagnola, with participant registration and a welcome coffee. At 9.30 am, there will be an opening address by Giancarlo Bernasconi, director of the Campo dei Fiori Park. At 10 am, the multidisciplinary site visit to Villaggio Cagnola will begin, with short walks along the paths within the area, where environment, history, geology and heritage intertwine in the heart of the Varese Pre-Alps. A lunch break is scheduled for 1 pm.

In the afternoon, from 2 pm, at the Campo dei Fiori Park headquarters in Brinzio, the project’s objectives will be presented. Speakers will include Alessandro M. Michetti, scientific director of the Department of Science and High Technology at the University of Insubria; Cristian Scapozza, scientific director at SUPSI; Elena Maggi, scientific director of the Department of Economics at the University of Insubria; Monica Brenga, from the Environmental Technical Office of the Campo dei Fiori Park; and Mita Lapi, from the Lombardy Foundation for the Environment.

At 3 pm, a discussion session with stakeholders is scheduled, moderated by University of Insubria lecturers Giulia Pesaro and Marco Pizza. Participation is particularly recommended for municipal and provincial technicians, public administrators, organisations managing natural areas, sector associations and members of the public. The day will conclude at 4 pm with a closing drinks reception.

The project is led by the University of Insubria on the Italian side and the University of Applied Sciences of Italian-speaking Switzerland on the Swiss side. Partners include the Campo dei Fiori Regional Park, the Lombardy Foundation for the Environment, the Piambello Mountain Community, the Transnational Association of Official Guides of Monte San Giorgio, and the ‘I Lepontini’ Association for Nature, History and Culture of the Southern Alps.

‘Ritmo’ focuses on the cross-border area of Insubria, specifically the territories of Varesotto and Mendrisiotto, an area of great scenic and cultural value that includes protected areas and UNESCO sites, as well as the UNESCO Ticino Val Grande Verbano Biosphere Reserve.

The project aims to identify hydrogeological risks, focusing both on the assessment of landslides and slope instability and on the cultural and landscape heritage potentially at risk. The overall objective is to develop a new multidisciplinary tool to improve understanding of these risks, in a context particularly vulnerable to extreme meteorological and hydrogeological events, exacerbated by climate change.

For those attending the morning event at Villaggio Cagnola, we recommend footwear and clothing suitable for outdoor activities.

• It will be possible to attend the presentation of the Project’s objectives and the discussion with stakeholders remotely via Teams.

In the photo, taken by Monica Brenga, Villaggio Cagnola in Rasa di Varese.