Survey on the landscape and morphological singularities of the Cliff of Aci Castello

Our territory is rich in locations of indisputable charm, whose wealth is the enviable result of the century old work carried out by nature, as well as that carried out by man that at times has been both interfering as well as interacting. This involves stratified palimpsests whose interpretation is complicated by the superposition of several semantic layers, each corresponding to different elements of quality and, often times, elements of fragility. A study aimed at protecting and enhancing the value of these sites can not be separated from the development of a targeted strategy which has a strong interdisciplinary vocation and is also closely linked to the areas of archeology, history, survey, landscape reading, morphology of the territory and geology. It must no longer be managed as autonomous cognitive elements - differing in scale, setting and language codes - but within a single comprehensive analytical model of interpretation. A cognitive survey of the costal area of the Riviera dei Ciclopi was developed using this methodological approach. The survey focused primarily on the Cliff and the Castle of Aci, which are of high landscape value and interconnected to the historical events of the Etna volcano. It is a place full of unusual geological, natural, human and cultural features that have been praised over the centuries through the descriptions by both artists and travelers. The aim of the integration of various survey technologies - 3D laser scanning and mobile mapping systems - is to obtain a dynamic understanding, which is both punctual and comprehensive. It is a necessary step in order to initiate a counter-action against the geomorphological risk that is linked to a strong anthropization and which has taken place because of the inadequate understanding and knowledge of the location’s value and intrinsic fragility.