Italy

In early January 2019 the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo submitted a joint bid, facing off with Stockholm in Sweden in the race to host the Winter Olympics. The IOC will make its decision in June.

Morbegno, in the Italian region of Lombardy, has been chosen as the 2019 «Alpine Town of the Year». It thus joins an international network that advocates future-proof urban development in the Alps.

While Eusalp wants to bring together the Alpine regions, migrants are dying on the borders between the Alpine countries. Francesco Pastorelli, Director of CIPRA Italy, asks what has happened to our hospitable, solidarity-based, tolerant Europe?

The year 2017 saw record numbers of trucks crossing the Brenner Pass. Now there is an opportunity to find a solution to the problem.

September saw the fourth and final I-LivAlps workshop on social innovation held in the Valle Maira, Italy. The end of the project has produced a rich harvest.

The partners of the Spare Project are as diverse as they are at home in different Alpine countries, comprising as they do a university, two research agencies, two official bodies, a regional office, and two environmental organisations. Together they demonstrate how river management can be improved above and beyond administrative, cultural and technical boundaries.

CIPRA Italy. While most of Italy is surrounded by the Mediterranean, to the north the country is encircled by a wide arc formed by the Alps. Goods shipped to Italy via sea routes are distributed onwards throughout Europe from Italy, with European products shipped out through Italian ports.

The Gotthard Pass has seen a historic low in transalpine goods traffic since the adoption of the law governing the modal shift. In contrast, the number of trucks crossing the Brenner Pass continues to increase.

Pesticides, herbicides, medicines – all these materials were found at over 2,700 metres above sea level. The water flowing down from the Presena glacier into the valley reflects this state of affairs.

The end of 2016 saw the announcement of the winners of the 2017 “Open Alps” human rights award. This honour is given to individuals or groups who actively work for the rights of refugees, immigrants, socially disadvantaged persons and threatened minorities in Europe.