Villa Sciarra - Consolidation of landslide areas

Caput Mundi Next Generation EU for touristic great events (Mission 1, Component 3, Investment 4.3)

Italy’s Recovery and Resilience Plan increases the number of accessible tourist sites in Rome, creating valid and qualified tourist and cultural alternatives with respect to the crowded central areas, as well as increasing the use of digital technologies, enhance green areas and the sustainability of tourism. The investment envisages six lines of interventions:
1. “Roman Cultural Heritage for EU-Next Generation”, covering the regeneration and restoration of cultural and urban heritage and complexes of high historical-architectural value of the city of Rome;
2. “Jubilee paths” (from pagan to Christian Rome), targeted to the enhancement, safety, anti-seismic consolidation, restoration of places and buildings of historical interest and archaeological pathways;
3. #LaCittàCondivisa, covering the redevelopment of sites in peripheral areas;
4. #Mitingodiverde, covering interventions on parks, historical gardens, villas and fountains;
5. #Roma 4.0, covering the digitalization of cultural services and the development of apps for tourists;
6. #Amanotesa, aimed at increasing the supply of cultural offer to peripheries for social integration.

The investment is financed by the Recovery and Resilience Facility by EUR 500 million and includes this project.
Interventions at Villa Sciarra aim to stabilize slopes and manage water to support restoration efforts. Two major landslides—one in the 1970s on Via Aurelio Saffi and another on Via Dandolo—caused retaining wall collapses due to sliding surface and clay layers. Studies by ISPRA have analyzed these issues. Groundwater control measures may be needed to prevent future instability and ensure terrace safety. This project is financed by the Recovery and Resilience Facility with EUR 2282000. Interventions at Villa Sciarra focus on stabilizing the slopes and managing both surface and underground water to enable the restoration of existing buildings and historic furnishings. Over time, the eastern Janiculum walls surrounding Villa Sciarra have experienced several instabilities, including the collapse of retaining walls in two key areas. The first occurred in the 1970s on Via Aurelio Saffi, where a landslide was later repaired using soil nailing with shotcrete. This instability was caused by the sliding of pyroclastic surface layers over underlying clayey interlayers, creating perched water tables. This phenomenon has been extensively studied by the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) and other prior investigations focused on the Monteverde hill landslides. The second instability affected the retaining wall on Via Dandolo, causing subsidence that impacted nearby private properties. Similar to the first case, the sliding of surface layers and clayey interlayers is the primary cause. To ensure the safety and long-term stability of the terraces supported by the Janiculum walls, groundwater containment and regulation measures may be necessary to prevent future landslides and maintain embankment integrity.