Museo Geologico e delle Frane

The Geological and Landslides Museum in Civita di Bagnoregio explains the geology and erosion that shape the town's precarious plateau. Its exhibits connect the area's stratigraphy with the landslides and stabilisation works that have affected Civita over time.

Why it matters

Civita's plateau consists of soft clays beneath a cap of tuff. Erosion has cut the surrounding gullies and repeatedly altered the land around the town. The museum presents the hill's geological formation, the landslides that have shaped it and the monitoring and stabilisation work undertaken to protect the ridge.

What to notice

Interactive stations use rock samples and models to show how water moves through sand, clay and volcanic tuff, and how the calanchi gullies develop where vegetation cannot hold the slope. Other rooms address slope failure and monitoring instruments, including inclinometers and monitoring networks that record changes in the hill. The sequence moves from geological materials to landslides and measures intended to stabilise the terrain.

Context and history

The museum occupies the second floor of Palazzo Alemanni-Mazzocchi, a Renaissance palace on Piazza San Donato. It is part of the wider museum landscape of Civita, where the cliffs and gullies are themselves a visible record of erosion. The Vulsino volcanic district includes limestone, sandy clays, sands and conglomerates overlaid by deposits from Vulsinian eruptions, a geological setting that contributes to the area's instability.