XXXVII CICLO | Millesimi Ines

An art historian and specialist in contemporary art, she is currently dedicated to cultural and scientific research in the mountains, interested in reconciling modernity with traditional roots.  A passionate trekker, she is an activist for the defence of the Highlands environment.

This transdisciplinary thesis examines the distribution of crosses and other religious symbols on the peaks of the Apennines and the Alps, mapped by altitude bands, highlighting potential impacts. In relation to the need for overall ecological protection of the peaks of the Alps and Apennines and their sustainable management, using citizen science models, an ecological reuse of some summit crosses as temporary weather stations is suggested. Data and observations on MPs on snow (fibres) were also collected on the summits of Mount Terminillo in order to evaluate the anthropic impact on wild mountain areas. The study area is included in SPA (special protection zone), IT6020005, ‘Monti Reatini’ (several municipalities) and in two of the 3 SAC sites (special area of conservation).

•  6 sampling areas
• 28 samples + ‘blank’ jars
• 6 sheets with data and observations.

The sampling protocol adopted was integrated with the one devised by Campanale (CNR-IRSA). Laboratory analysis conducted by experts  at Enea-Roma, Casaccia Research Centre, are still ongoing, and the discussion of the results is not yet concluded, but it seems to confirm the hypothesis of anthropogenic pollutant sources.

• Millesimi, I., & Pica, A. (2024). Crosses on peaks in Protected Areas: a functional mapping from the Apennines to the Italian Alps by altitude bands. eco.mont, 16(1), 4–15