Speaker
Description
The narrow-gauge railway Circumetnea is today unique of its kind in Italy, both for its technical railway characteristics and for the specificity of the landscape it crosses (from the sea to the mountain territory of Etna volcano and then back to the sea) as well as for its historical value with its 130 years of existence. The 113km railway line, created for commercial reasons, has influenced the economic development and identity of many communities that, in previous centuries, were peripheral to the main economic flows of Sicily. In the 20th century, the Circumetnea transformed from a line mainly used for transporting local products and goods to a passenger railway, particularly responding to mobility needs for work and study.
Starting from the 1980s, due to the heavy urban traffic and the lack of adoption of policies to improve the local public service in the city of Catania, it was decided to transform the urban section of the Circumetnea railway into a subway with a standard gauge. Recently, the project to extend the metro section to the municipality of Paternò (and later Adrano) has been funded by the European Recovery Fund (NRRP), foreseeing the dismantlement of 40km of the Circumetnea line.
The research aims at highlighting the repercussions on the mobility system and the historical landscape heritage of the inner area of Simeto Valley, crossed by the historical line, analysing the effects of the previous infrastructure upgrading works carried out in the period 2005-2011, with the undergrounding of the railway line in the towns of Santa Maria di Licodia, Biancavilla and Adrano. The interventions, carried out more to avoid interfering with private vehicle traffic, were not included in a broader urban regeneration plan, nor did they improve the service offered.
Biography
I am a Ph.D. Student at the IMT School for Advanced Studies of Lucca, in Tuscany. My Ph.D project "Local Roots and Digital Innovation for the Global Growth of Inner Areas and Urban Ecosystems" is cofunded by the Union of Garfagnana Municipalities and the Italian Territorial Cohesion Agency. The main aim of the Research Project is to promote inner area's development, focusing on digitalization, infrastructure upgrading, local cultural heritage valorization, and local entrepreneurship. I am an activist for sustainable mobility and the environment, and president of the active citizenship association “Rete 2030"
