MEDITERRANEAN CYCLONE HARRY AND OTHER DISASTERS The State of Italian Territory, 23 March 2026

September 2024: Emilia-Romagna is underwater again. January 2026: Cyclone Harry strikes the Mediterranean, and in Niscemi, Sicily, a landslide stretching nearly 5 kilometres forces more than 1,500 people to abandon their homes.

These are not exceptions. They are the signs of a country under threat — where climate change meets an extremely fragile landscape.

On 23 March, the IUSS Pavia University School for Advanced Studies opens the doors of the Sala del Camino to the public, for a shared exploration of what is happening.

Three researchers will guide us through the complexity of these phenomena: from the physics of Mediterranean cyclones to the hydrogeological risk that affects each one of us, to the economic and social scars that floods and landslides leave on affected communities long after the spotlight moves on.

Because being informed is not enough. Understanding makes the difference.

Programme

MEDITERRANEAN CYCLONE HARRY AND OTHER DISASTERS 23 March 2026 | 4:00–5:30 PM IUSS Pavia University School for Advanced Studies — Sala del Camino

Introduction Welcome address by the Rector, Mario MARTINA

Speakers Marco GAETANI, IUSS Pavia — Mediterranean Cyclones: rich physics, major impacts, a future yet to be deciphered Marcello AROSIO, IUSS Pavia — A fragile land: why hydrogeological risk concerns all of us Jlenia DI NOIA, IUSS Pavia — What remains after the flood: economic exposure and social impacts

Moderator Giulio ERBA, IUSS student

Attendance will be recognised as an extra-curricular activity for students enrolled in the Undergraduate Courses.

FREE ENTRY. 

REGISTRATION RECOMMENDED by emailing comunicazione@iusspavia.it