Floods, landslides, wildfires and the new risks tied to the energy transition. These are the themes of the conference “The culture of prevention and risk reduction,” scheduled for Wednesday, 14 October at the Kursaal Congress Centre in San Marino. Among the guests will be Fabio Ciciliano, head of Italy’s Civil Protection Department, and Norbert Lantschner, ambassador of the Earth Charter and creator of the CasaClima project. Fabio Dattilo, former head of Italy’s National Fire Corps, will moderate the discussion.
The event is organized by the Secretariats of State for Territory and for Internal Affairs. The goal is to address risks before they turn into emergencies, bringing together institutions, universities, operational bodies and professionals for a shared discussion.
“The safety of a territory is built before an emergency happens. It means understanding vulnerabilities, planning responsibly and investing in prevention,” says Secretary of State Matteo Ciacci. “This conference brings valuable expertise and experience to San Marino and allows us to strengthen dialogue between institutions, research and professionals. We want to foster a shared culture of prevention that can guide decisions about our territory and protect people, the environment and future generations.”
The morning session, from 10am to 1pm, will focus on climate change and territorial safety. Lantschner will open proceedings with his address “The right to the future becomes an emergency,” while Ciciliano will speak about the culture of prevention and risk reduction. Elena Toth, professor at the University of Bologna and president of the Italian Hydrological Society, will address floods, inundations and landslides. Maurizio Righetti, professor of Hydraulic Engineering at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, will explore the challenges that climate change poses for land protection. The session will also cover monitoring, early-warning systems, risk communication and post-disaster reconstruction.
“Prevention requires well-prepared institutions, up-to-date expertise and effective cooperation among all stakeholders,” notes Secretary of State Andrea Belluzzi. “Connecting public administrations, operational bodies, universities and professionals strengthens the country’s capacity to face increasingly complex risks. Training and the sharing of knowledge are concrete investments in community safety and in the quality of public action.”
Alongside Ciacci and Belluzzi, institutional greetings will be delivered by the rector of the University of San Marino, Paolo Pascucci; the Emilia-Romagna regional councillor Alice Parma, representing President Michele de Pascale; the mayor of Fano, Luca Serfilippi; and the chief of San Marino’s Civil Protection, Pietro Falcioni.
In the afternoon, from 2:30pm to 6pm, the discussion will turn to fire prevention. The focus will be on photovoltaic systems, energy storage units, building materials and cladding, with particular attention to design and fire-safety solutions. Speakers will include Luciano Nigro, president of SFPE Italy; Luca Fiorentini, risk analysis expert and university lecturer; Piergiacomo Cancelliere, commander of the Latina Fire Brigade; Giuseppe Amaro, of GAe Engineering; and Francesco Saverio Ciani, fire-safety expert and lecturer on the Master’s programme in Fire Safety Engineering at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano.
The Kursaal is located at Via J.F. Kennedy 17. Admission is free, subject to availability, with registration via the link or QR code provided in the programme. Continuing-education credits are available for the relevant professional categories, and the afternoon session offers three hours of accredited training in fire prevention.
