On 25 October 2011, heavy rainfall affected an area of ca. 1000 km 2 between eastern Liguria and northern Tuscany (northwest Italy). The event caused floods, hundreds of shallow landslides, four casualties and severe structural and economic damage in Monterosso and Vernazza villages. The distribution of geo-hydrological processes triggered by rainfall in relation to land-use was analyzed in the Vernazza catchment. Both, an inventory map of geo-hydrological processes and a land-use map were prepared through air photo-analysis and field surveys; a derivative map combining these two outputs provides insight into the relationships between geo-hydrological processes and land-use. The density of shallow landslides (n/km 2 ) and the frequency of erosional processes (%) are higher in terraced areas compared to other land-use classes. The study highlights the high vulnerability of agricultural terraces which, over the centuries, have been a fundamental tool for the prevention and control of erosional processes and slope instability.

Particularly the Liguria region in Northern Italy is highly affected by soil erosion processes. This study was conducted in the Portofino promontory in eastern Liguria, to predict potential annual soil loss using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). Moreover, we evaluate the relative accuracy of the predictions at detailed scale, using high resolution spatial information for model calibration. The RUSLE factors were calculated for the study area based on terrain survey data and rain gauge measurements. The results were plotted on a 1:10,000 scale soil erosion map and subsequently compared with the European soil loss estimation method (RUSLE2015) developed by the European Joined Research Centre. This study shows that the RUSLE2015 model can be applied in a typical Mediterranean environment such as the Portofino promontory. However, the accuracy of the single factors we calculated using high resolution data sets might improve the results substantially and thus, also model efficiency.

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Land suitability is the fitness of a given type of land for a specific use. Tuber magnatum Pico is one of the most valuable truffles present in Italy. The objective of this study was to assess the suitability of land to favour the growth of T. magnatum, using detailed soil spatial information, for the area around Piana Crixia (a town in Province of Savona, Italy). The work is based on land evaluation framework promoted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Attributes of the physical environment (soil and wetness characteristics) were assembled and used for the suitability assessment. Each attribute was mapped using a geographical information system and classified on the basis of predefined requirements. Soil and wetness requirements for T. magnatum were identified using expert knowledge of highly productive truffle grounds and a land suitability map at a scale of 1:10,000 was produced by overlaying the generated soil suitability and wetness suitability maps.