TY - JOUR A1 - Scianna, Bastian Matteo T1 - A prelude to total war? BT - the Abyssinian War (1935-36) in the Eyes of Foreign Military Observers JF - International Journal of Military History and Historiography N2 - The conflict between Italy and Ethiopia in 1935–36 has been framed as a prelude to the Second World War and as a watershed towards ‘Total War’. One perspective has so far been neglected: the assessments of foreign military observers. This article examines American, British, German, and Austrian views on the operations and thereby also analyses the mindset of European officers at the time. The core argument emerging from these reports is that the war was perceived as a rather ‘normal’ colonial conflict. Neither the use of gas, nor the employment of aircraft against civilians was seen as a taboo or created significant outrage among the military observers. Instead, they lauded the Italians’ steady logistical efforts and employment of artillery and airpower to overcome nature and the enemy’s resistance. KW - Italy KW - Ethiopia KW - Abyssinian War KW - Fascism KW - Military Attaches Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1163/24683302-03801001 SN - 2468-3299 SN - 2468-3302 VL - 38 IS - 1 SP - 5 EP - 33 PB - Brill CY - Leiden ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scianna, Bastian Matteo T1 - Forging an Italian hero? BT - The late commemoration of Amedeo Guillet (1909-2010) JF - European Review of History: Revue européenne d'histoire N2 - Over the last two decades, Amedeo Guillet (1909–2010) has been turned into a public and military hero. His exploits as a guerrilla leader in Italian East Africa in 1941 have been exaggerated to forge a narrative of an honourable resistance against overwhelming odds. Thereby, Guillet has been showcased as a romanticized colonial explorer who was an apolitical and timeless Italian officer. He has been compared to Lawrence of Arabia in order to raise his international visibility, while his genuine Italian brand is perpetuated domestically. By elevating him to an official role model, the Italian Army has gained a focal point for military heroism that was also acceptable in the public memory as the embodiment of a ‘glorious’ defeat narrative. KW - Italy KW - Second World War KW - Amedeo Guillet KW - colonialism KW - Italian East Africa KW - collective memory Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/13507486.2018.1492520 SN - 1350-7486 SN - 1469-8293 VL - 26 IS - 3 SP - 369 EP - 385 PB - Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group CY - Abingdon ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scianna, Bastian Matteo T1 - A Blueprint for Successful Peacekeeping? BT - The Italians in Beirut (Lebanon), 1982-1984 JF - The international history review N2 - On 6 June 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon to fight the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). Between August 1982 and February 1984, the US, France, Britain and Italy deployed a Multinational Force (MNF) to Beirut. Its task was to act as an interposition force to bolster the government and to bring peace to the people. The mission is often forgotten or merely remembered in context with the bombing of US Marines’ barracks. However, an analysis of the Italian contingent shows that the MNF was not doomed to fail and could accomplish its task when operational and diplomatic efforts were coordinated. The Italian commander in Beirut, General Franco Angioni, followed a successful approach that sustained neutrality, respectful behaviour and minimal force, which resulted in a qualified success of the Italian efforts. KW - Peacekeeping KW - Italy KW - Lebanon KW - Middle East KW - Beirut Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/07075332.2018.1431804 SN - 0707-5332 SN - 1949-6540 VL - 41 IS - 3 SP - 650 EP - 672 PB - Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group CY - Abingdon ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Roder, Giulia A1 - Hudson, Paul A1 - Taroili, Paolo T1 - Flood risk perceptions and the willingness to pay for flood insurance in the Veneto region of Italy JF - International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction N2 - The floodplain of the Veneto region (north-east Italy) is one of the most inhabited and economically competitive urban landscapes in Europe. Moreover, recent flood events have caused millions of Euros in damage across the region. Due to the combined influence of climate change and socio-economic development, flood impacts are expected to grow. Therefore, it is important for all flood-prone individuals to actively manage and limit flood risk through property-level flood risk management as part of an integrated flood risk management strategy. This is in line with the calls for wider community engagement in risk management in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore, an online-survey of Veneto region residents was conducted asking questions regarding flood risk perceptions, preparedness, and preferences towards flood insurance via self-stated willingness to pay (WTP). Our analysis provides an initial indication that while flood risk knowledge is high, it may not be sufficient to encourage proactive risk management. From the WTP values provided people seem reluctant to buy insurance. However, many respondents expressed that a compulsory insurance system may be acceptable. In such a scheme the estimated insurance premium could fall to between (sic)26 and (sic)42 per year, as compared to, potentially, (sic)800 under risk-based premiums, which falls within the majority of WTP estimates provided ((sic)0-(sic)250). Overall, we identify areas of future research that are critical for the better design of risk management policies, supporting the insurance companies in risk management and for recommendations regarding property-level risk management. KW - Flood risk KW - Risk perception KW - Preparedness KW - Willingness to pay KW - Italy Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2019.101172 SN - 2212-4209 VL - 37 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Grossi, Giuseppe A1 - Reichard, Christoph A1 - Ruggiero, Pasquale T1 - Appropriateness and Use of Performance Information in the Budgeting Process: Some Experiences from German and Italian Municipalities JF - Sports medicine N2 - This article contributes to the debate on the use of performance information in the context of public sector performance management. Based on case studies, the authors analyze the appropriateness of the performance information provided in the newly established performance budgets of municipalities in Germany and Italy. They also examine the interest of politicians and senior managers in using such information for decision-making and monitoring within the municipal budget cycle. They find that the use of performance information is generally quite modest, and that the interest of different local actors varies to a great extent. Politicians are generally less interested in such information than top managers, particularly chief financial officers. The results are discussed by applying a theoretical framework based on institutional and legitimacy theories, and are compared with the literature on performance information use. KW - Italy KW - Germany KW - local government KW - performance budget KW - performance information use KW - performance management Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/15309576.2015.1137770 SN - 1530-9576 SN - 1557-9271 VL - 39 SP - 581 EP - 606 PB - Springer CY - Abingdon ER - TY - GEN A1 - Scianna, Bastian Matteo T1 - Forging an Italian hero? BT - the late commemoration of Amedeo Guillet (1909–2010) T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Philosophische Reihe N2 - Over the last two decades, Amedeo Guillet (1909–2010) has been turned into a public and military hero. His exploits as a guerrilla leader in Italian East Africa in 1941 have been exaggerated to forge a narrative of an honourable resistance against overwhelming odds. Thereby, Guillet has been showcased as a romanticized colonial explorer who was an apolitical and timeless Italian officer. He has been compared to Lawrence of Arabia in order to raise his international visibility, while his genuine Italian brand is perpetuated domestically. By elevating him to an official role model, the Italian Army has gained a focal point for military heroism that was also acceptable in the public memory as the embodiment of a ‘glorious’ defeat narrative. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Philosophische Reihe - 152 KW - Italy KW - Second World War KW - Amedeo Guillet KW - colonialism KW - Italian East Africa KW - collective memory Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-416866 SN - 1866-8380 IS - 152 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Scianna, Bastian Matteo T1 - A blueprint for successful peacekeeping? BT - the Italians in Beirut (Lebanon), 1982–1984 T2 - The International History Review N2 - On 6 June 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon to fight the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). Between August 1982 and February 1984, the US, France, Britain and Italy deployed a Multinational Force (MNF) to Beirut. Its task was to act as an interposition force to bolster the government and to bring peace to the people. The mission is often forgotten or merely remembered in context with the bombing of US Marines’ barracks. However, an analysis of the Italian contingent shows that the MNF was not doomed to fail and could accomplish its task when operational and diplomatic efforts were coordinated. The Italian commander in Beirut, General Franco Angioni, followed a successful approach that sustained neutrality, respectful behaviour and minimal force, which resulted in a qualified success of the Italian efforts. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Philosophische Reihe - 143 KW - peacekeeping KW - Italy KW - Lebanon KW - Middle East KW - Beirut Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-412937 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Föllmi, Karl B. A1 - Hofmann, Helene A1 - Chiaradia, Massimo A1 - de Kaenel, Eric A1 - Frijia, Gianluca A1 - Parente, Mariano T1 - Miocene phosphate-rich sediments in Salento (southern Italy) JF - Sedimentary geology : international journal of applied and regional sedimentology N2 - The upper Middle to lower Upper Miocene (Serravallian to Tortonian) sedimentary succession in Salento (southern Italy) includes glauconite- and phosphate-rich deposits, which are associated with pelagic micrite. In Baia del Ciolo and Marittima (southern Salento), the succession is composed of shallow-water platform carbonates of Late Oligocene age (Chattian; Porto Badisco Formation), which are overlain by a 20- to 30-cm-thick level of glauconite-rich micrite with abundant reworked particles and fossils of the underlying Porto Badisco Formation. This interval is in turn covered by an up to 15 cm thick phosphatic crust ("Livello ad Aturia"), which itself is overlain either by a hemipelagic chalk-like carbonate of Middle to Late Miocene age ("Pietra Leccese"; Marittima) or directly by a micrite of Late Miocene age (Messinian; Novaglie Formation; Baia del Ciolo), which shallows upwards into a shallow-water platform carbonate. A large hiatus is present in this succession, which likely includes the Lower and lower Middle Miocene. In the region of Lecce, two discrete levels enriched in glauconite and phosphate-each associated with a major discontinuity-occur within the Pietra Leccese. The strontium-isotope ages derived on phosphate nodules and phosphatized and non-phosphatized fossils and calcareous nannofossil ages indicate a time interval of phosphogenesis between 13.5 and 7.5 Ma, with two clusters at 12 and 10.5 Ma. The glauconite and phosphate-rich sediments resulted from a current-dominated regime, which was characterized by low overall sedimentation rates, erosion and sediment reworking, and authigenesis. This regime was likely related to a generally westward-directed bottom current, which was forced to upwell once it arrived at the western border of the eastern Mediterranean basin. The timing of the principal phosphogenic phases can only partly be correlated to those of other occurrences in this part of the Mediterranean (Malta, Gozo, southern Sicily, Matese, Latium-Abruzzi platform). The partial diachrony in phosphogenesis may express the effect of lateral switching in and/or focusing of upwelling zones. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. KW - Miocene KW - Salento KW - Italy KW - Phosphogenesis KW - Paleoceanography Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sedgeo.2015.07.009 SN - 0037-0738 SN - 1879-0968 VL - 327 SP - 55 EP - 71 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Parisi, Serena A1 - Paternoster, Michele A1 - Kohfahl, Claus A1 - Pekdeger, Asaf A1 - Meyer, Hanno A1 - Hubberten, Hans-Wolfgang A1 - Spilotro, Giuseppe A1 - Mongelli, Giovanni T1 - Groundwater recharge areas of a volcanic aquifer system inferred from hydraulic, hydrogeochemical and stable isotope data mount Vulture, southern Italy JF - Hydrogeology journal : official journal of the International Association of Hydrogeologists N2 - Environmental isotope techniques, hydrogeochemical analysis and hydraulic data are employed to identify the main recharge areas of the Mt. Vulture hydrogeological basin, one of the most important aquifers of southern Italy. The groundwaters are derived from seepage of rainwater, flowing from the highest to the lowest elevations through the shallow volcanic weathered host-rock fracture zones. Samples of shallow and deep groundwater were collected at 48 locations with elevations ranging from 352 to 1,100 m above sea level (a.s.l.), for stable isotope (delta(18)O, delta D) and major ion analyses. A complete dataset of available hydraulic information has been integrated with measurements carried out in the present study. Inferred recharge elevations, estimated on the basis of the local vertical isotopic gradient of delta(18)O, range between 550 and 1,200 m a.s.l. The isotope pattern of the Quaternary aquifer reflects the spatial separation of different recharge sources. Knowledge of the local hydrogeological setting was the starting point for a detailed hydrogeochemical and isotopic study to define the recharge and discharge patterns identifying the groundwater flow pathways of the Mt. Vulture basin. The integration of all the data allowed for the tracing of the groundwater flows of the Mt. Vulture basin. KW - Volcanic aquifer KW - Groundwater recharge/water budget KW - Recharge elevation KW - Stable isotopes KW - Italy Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-010-0619-8 SN - 1431-2174 VL - 19 IS - 1 SP - 133 EP - 153 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Maerker, Michael A1 - Pelacani, Samanta A1 - Schroeder, Boris T1 - A functional entity approach to predict soil erosion processes in a small Plio-Pleistocene Mediterranean catchment in Northern Chianti, Italy JF - Geomorphology : an international journal on pure and applied geomorphology N2 - In this paper we evaluate different methods to predict soil erosion processes. We derived different layers of predictor variables for the study area in the Northern Chianti, Italy, describing the soil-lithologic complex, land use, and topographic characteristics. For a subcatchment of the Orme River, we mapped erosion processes by interpreting aerial photographs and field observations. These were classified as erosional response units (ERU), i.e. spatial areas of homogeneous erosion processes. The ERU were used as the response variable in the soil erosion modelling process. We applied two models i) bootstrap aggregation (Random Forest: RF), and ii) stochastic gradient boosting (TreeNet: TN) to predict the potential spatial distribution of erosion processes for the entire Orme River catchment. The models are statistically evaluated using training data and a set of performance parameters such as the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), Cohen's Kappa, and pseudo R2. Variable importance and response curves provide further insight into controlling factors of erosion. Both models provided good performance in terms of classification and calibration; however, TN outperformed RF. Similar classes such as active and inactive landslides can be discriminated and well interpreted by considering response curves and relative variable importance. The spatial distribution of the predicted erosion susceptibilities generally follows topographic constraints and is similar for both models. Hence, the model-based delineation of ERU on the basis of soil and terrain information is a valuable tool in geomorphology; it provides insights into factors controlling erosion processes and may allow the extrapolation and prediction of erosion processes in unsurveyed areas. KW - Erosion processes KW - Boostrap aggregation KW - Stochastic gradient boosting KW - Spatially explicit prediction KW - Tuscany KW - Italy Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2010.10.022 SN - 0169-555X VL - 125 IS - 4 SP - 530 EP - 540 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER -