PROGETTO NOSTRA Link between the coast and the hinterland

Territorial and geomorphological characteristics and infrastructure

Ing. Domenica Catalfamo

1 TERRITORIAL CHARACTERISTICS

While flying over the Province of Reggio Calabria the landscape appears always dominated by a great mountain: the Aspromonte. Hence the main actors of the environment are the Aspromonte and the sea, or better the Tyrrhenian and the Ionian seas which lap the provincial coastline for a total of 200 kilometres. The entire province which covers 3.183 km 2, is marked by a large variety of territorial, environmental and landscape features characterizing the different areas. The province, the most southward of the Italian peninsula, is identified as the point of boot and is positioned right in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea; stretching from the Tyrrhenian Sea coast to the Ionian Sea coast, from the town of Rosarno to Punta Stilo covering around 220 km. The territory of the Province of Reggio is mainly dominated by the orography of the Aspromonte mountain range, which has three major slopes

2 South Eastern and South Ionian marked by a low coast line

South Western and North Western Tyrrhenian

marked by a high coastline and separated by the central mountain range

3 • The Aspromonte (1.956 m) with its national park is entirely within the borders of the provincial territory. The mountain generates a number of rivers and streams

• The one and only plain is the plain of Gioia Tauro, southwards along the Tyrrhenian coast • The territory which pools 28% of the Calabrian population, counts 97 municipalities and covers 21,1% of the Calabrian territory.

4 • The social, economic and settlement dynamics which outlined the present characteristics of the territory are the result of an extremely complex historical process. • The complex and detailed morphological structure of the territory influenced both forms of settlement and functional, economic and social interactions; • The great disasters (1783 and 1908 earthquakes, floods in the 50’s)

affected the history of places, the economic and social dynamics, the settlement organizations, leading often to the total wiping out of the historical heritage of the sites; • the migration flows which developed at the beginning of the last century and which modified drastically the provincial organization of the territory. 5 The settlement system of the Province of Reggio Calabria offers a high level of urbanization and population concentration along the coasts and hence a related pooling of social and network functions and infrastructure. The close proximity of sea and mountainous environments offers the Province of Reggio Calabria a variety of habitats, marked by typical naturalistic features. The complex morphological, hydrographical and vegetation systems, the richness of the landscape and the variety of habitats are dominated by two outstanding elements: the Aspromonte and the coastline.

6 All this is integrated by the symbolic and scenic importance of the Straits of Messina which act as a gateway but also as bondage for the whole coastal system.

7 In terms of natural interest the articulated fragmentation of the territory of Reggio Calabria together with the variety of rare ecosystems and typical Mediterranean landscapes lead to the identifying of unique habitats namely, the Costa Viola (Purple coast) or the Riviera dei Gelsomini (Jasmine coast). Other unique sites must be added to these environments namely the Locride , and the plain of Gioia Tauro , where the role played by the port at an international level has led to focus on the need to combine logistic, productive and infrastructural improvements to the safeguard of the environment and the renewal of local resources . I would love to show pictures of our natural beauties and of the Port of Gioia Tauro but I would interfere with the papers which will be presented during the next sessions.

8 TERRITORIAL GEOMORPHOLOGY

• As previously highlighted a variety of territorial and environmental habitats are present owing to the proximity of sea and mountains. • The Aspromonte is a massif that spreads from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Ionian Sea and is part of a mountain range called the Southern Alps or Calabrian Alps. The morphology of the area is quite jagged, with the exception of the summits whose profile is mitigated. The complex has a cone -pyramid shaped outline, with a central relief, Mount Montalto (1956 m) from which stem several peaks interspersed with deep valleys.

9 • The rocks have a fragile mechanical behaviour hence react to tectonic stress and fracture, the surface appears extremely modified and the upper layer is very thin and hence highly erodible. • The Tyrrhenian slope is characterized by a fault system, which interrupts the ridges leading to the formation of four terraces at different levels, the so called “plains”, interspersed with steep slopes.

10 The Ionian flank offers regular slopes which roll down to the coast line where the presence of easily erodible sediments favoured the formation of rounded reliefs.

11 Hydrography is related to rivers. Short water ways, with a torrential system, flow downstream in river beds which are stony and often quite wide. The river flow is supplied by rainwater runoff. Given the rainfall pattern with rainfalls concentrated in the winter season, these rivers rush down during the winter period, creating breath taking waterfalls at high-altitudes.

12 The phasing out of rainfalls in spring entails a progressive reduction of the flow until the beds dry up completely during the summer and autumn period.

13 MORPHOLOGICAL AND TECTONIC FEATURES OF THE STRAITS OF MESSINA

To date there are still various theories on the geomorphological system of the Straits of Messina and the related development and evolution during the different geological eras. The “Graben” structure better suits the Calabrian reality. According to the Geology dictionary the term “Graben” defines the straits of Messina as a natural depression of tectonic origin dating back 125 thousand years, where the numerous ongoing earthquakes gradually distanced the North-Eastern point of Sicily from the coasts of Southern Calabria and from the rest of the continent. The characteristics of the rock and lithological formations which fringe the Straits are paramount. Indeed the Peloritani mountain range (Sicilian shore) and the Aspromonte mountain range (Calabrian shore) offer an identical configuration hence highlighting that in the past Sicily was joined to the rest of the continent. This is another reason for wishing that the two territories can once again be united through the good practice of our Nostra Project.

14 The Straits of Messina are in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, an extremely unstable tectonic area. Three continental plates converge in this precise area, each with its own movements and their collision creates a system of normal faults, 370 km long, the “Siculo- Calabrian Rift zone”.

15 MORPHOLOGY AND BATHYMETRY The straits of Messina, owing to its morphological features, could be represented as a funnel with the narrow point orientated northwards ideally towards Capo Peloro (Sicily) – Torre Cavallo (Calabria) and southwards towards Capo d’Armi (Calabria).

The northern border can be easily identified, while the southern one can have both a geographical or hydrological meaning, the latter could be envisaged as the ideal line which links Capo Taormina (Sicily) to Capo d’Armi (Calabria). In terms of hydrological zone even the northern border is much wider than the geographical one and includes the area of the Tyrrhenian Sea between Capo Milazzo, the Aeolian Archipelagos and the shores of the Gulf of Gioia Tauro. 16 • The underwater profile of the Straits can be compared to a Mount, where the summit is saddle shaped (the joining line between Ganzirri – Punta Pezzo) and the opposite slopes have different gradients. In the Tyrrhenian Sea the sea bed slowly slopes downwards reaching a depth of 1000 m in the Milazzo area and a bathymetric limit of 2000 m beyond the island of Stromboli. In the Southern area (Ionian Sea) the slope is much steeper; a depth of 500 m is reached a couple of kilometres from the “saddle” between the cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria, a depth of 1.200 m South (Punta Pellaro), a depth of 2000 m at the centre of the joining line between Capo Taormina and Capo d’Armi.

17 • A significant feature in the Straits is the perennial difference in level of around 27-28 cm between the waters of the Ionian Sea and Tyrrhenian Sea which declines when approaching the point of contact between the two basin and once the latter is reached the difference disappears completely. When the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea, North of Capo Peloro, are high tide the Ionian waters, South of Capo Ali, are low tide.

• A simple representation of the scenario in the straits is given by imagining that low tide of the Tyrrhenian Sea North of the canal, coincides with the high tide of the neighbouring

Ionian Sea, and the opposite occurs at the next change of tide. The level difference (up to 28 cm) entails that periodically the waters of one basin pour into the neighbouring one.

18 INFRASTRUCTURAL SYSTEM

• The road network encompasses primary roads (motorways, state and provincial roads, main or secondary non-urban roads) and secondary roads, namely country roads with reduced characteristics and in poor conditions.

19 • The complex geomorphological situation before described makes very difficult management of provincial roads that are 1.800 km long and connect 97 municipalities. The road network along the Ionian cost is rather simple and adopts a comb shaped grid where the side roads intersect perpendicular with the main coastal road SS106.

• The coastal axis plays a double role operating at a regional and municipal level, while the side roads are part of the municipal network and often represent the only way of reaching a vast area predominantly mountainous and hilly.

20 • The road network along the Tyrrhenian cost adopts a Tree shaped grid, namely there is a main axis into which a number of side roads intersect and branch out. The speed of access and exit along the perpendicular offshoots appears moderate due to the presence of steep ad often winding sections. Along the axis between the two seas (SP281)

• the average speed of access is higher though often hampered by the not excellent visibility conditions .

21 • The infrastructure and service transport system can be classified according to the relationships: in inter-provincial and across provinces. Interprovincial relationships are possible through: • The road network for private, freight and public transport; • The rail road network along the Tyrrhenian and Ionian coast. • Relationships between provinces and the surrounding environment are feasible through: • The road network infrastructure for private, freight and public transport at interprovincial and interregional level; • The rail road system along the Tyrrhenian and Ionian coast; • The airport of Reggio Calabria; • The ports of Reggio Calabria, Villa San Giovanni and Gioia Tauro.

22 Before inviting the speakers of the next session to take the floor I would like to present these pictures in the hope they will encourage us to continue with this wonderful adventure towards an operating network of the Straits of Europe and here in the deep south towards the true union of the Area of the Strait of Messina

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