An interpretation of the landsliding process affecting the town of Roccella Valdemone

The western slope of the small town of Roccella Valdemone, in Sicily, is affected by a landslide that in 1950 reached the urban centre, subsequently propagated uphill up until 1996, and destroyed many constructions. The mass movement involves essentially stiff tectonised clays and heterogeneous argillaceous debris. The causes and the evolution of the landsliding process are discussed in the paper, in which the devised, and par-tially implemented, remedial measures are also outlined.