Hello All, It has been a pleasure learning about geology with you. I have truly enjoyed reading all of the blog posts and forums. I actually learned more here than I expected too. So without further ado here is my final post. Enjoy.
Italy has been and will continue to be plagued with natural disasters. It is a wonder that the country has such an abundance of ancient architecture and history and is one of the oldest nations in the world. Italy has a high risk of flooding, avalanches, mud slides, earthquakes, and tsunamis but the most dangerous natural hazard would have to be the risk of volcanic eruptions. Italy is home to the only active volcanoes in Mainland Europe. Situated near the boundary of the Eurasian and African plates the country is literally a hot spot. While there are several dormant volcanoes, Italy plays host to three active volcanoes, Mount Etna, Stromboli, and Mount Vesuvius. "Italy
is home to three active volcanoes, all located in the south of the
country. Mount Vesuvius, in Naples, is the only active volcano on
mainland Europe. It is famous for the destruction of the Roman towns of
Pompei and Herculaneum in 79 BC, an event described in great detail by
Pliny the Younger" (http://www.understandingitaly.com/profile-content/volcanoes.html). I have chosen these volcanoes as the most dangerous natural hazard because of their ability to demolish an entire town, In fact Mount Vesuvius has done it.Ever hear of Pompeii? The second dangerous natural hazard would have to be earthquakes, mostly because of the age of the buildings and a general lack of building codes, a good earthquake can really do some damage. Lets not forget Italy is one giant peninsula surrounded by water on three sides, so with any good earthquake comes the risk of tsunami.
As far as addressing these hazards go that is a whole other game. There really is not a lot you can do to prevent a volcano, and lets face it what would be the long term effects on the planet if we did. I think the most important part for both hazards would be a state of the art warning system that gives hours notice. The infrastructure in Italy really needs to be improved including the stabilization of buildings and stricter building codes. Because they are already working on preserving Venice and trying to prevent high tide flooding and tsunami risks I would not start there but at other coastal cities, many Italian cities are built right on the side of cliffs and are ocean side.I would start from the southern most tip of Italy and working my way up each coast, my priority would be the stabilization of buildings there, continuing the building of water breaks and flood gates, I would also have government assistance programs for metal roofing to help prevent hot ash setting roofs on fire. I can't really pinpoint one specific risk area, the entire country needs an overhaul and soon.
As far as my house goes, I would probably build somewhere along the Northeast tip of the nation, perhaps somewhere between the beautiful city of Florence or Genoa near the French border. This would put my quite far from the active volcanoes. There is no avoiding fault lines, I would want my home somewhere with higher elevation but on a flat plot. I would want to take all the American safety features of building a home near fault lines plus include the ability for the home to sit on a rocker per say so it can sway in an earthquake like they do with sky scrapers.
