From 24 to 26 March, the RESPOnD partnership gathered in Cinque Terre, Italy, for a project meeting hosted by the Cinque Terre National Park. Over the course of three intense and inspiring days, the meeting unfolded not only through discussions and project exchanges, but also through direct contact with a territory that embodies many of the challenges at the heart of RESPOnD: connecting innovation with local knowledge, learning from the concrete experience of territories already facing the effects of environmental and climatic pressure.
In this sense, Cinque Terre offered much more than a setting for the meeting. It became a living case study where environmental fragility, human adaptation, and territorial resilience are deeply intertwined. Walking through the Ligurian landscape allowed project partners to experience first-hand what it means to manage agricultural and environmental systems in a challenging context shaped by steep slopes, dry-stone walls, and increasingly variable climatic conditions such as heat exposure and water stress.
What emerges clearly in Cinque Terre is the coexistence of vulnerability and strength within the same landscape. This is a territory exposed to risk, but also one that has developed, over time, forms of knowledge, care, and adaptation that are both practical and highly instructive. For the partnership, being on site made it possible to move beyond abstract discussion and reconnect project objectives with real territorial conditions.
A particularly valuable part of the meeting was the opportunity to engage directly with local actors who work every day within this complex environment. During the visit, interviews were carried out with Matteo Perrone, Officer for Territory and Biodiversity at the Cinque Terre National Park, Luca Pagliari from Azienda Agricola Finis Terrae, and Luciano De Battè from the local cooperative winery, Cantina Sociale. Their perspectives brought depth and realism to the partnership’s reflection, highlighting issues such as the sustainability of heroic viticulture, the maintenance of terraced landscapes, the management of hydrogeological risk, and the delicate balance between environmental preservation and local economic activity. These exchanges confirmed the importance of implementing ecosystem-based adaptation strategies within the territory to ensure climate resilient vineyards and preserved cultural heritage.
A sincere thank you goes to the Cinque Terre National Park for hosting the partnership and for opening a direct window onto the technical, environmental, and cultural complexity of this extraordinary landscape. Encounters like this remind us that resilience is not only a concept to be discussed, but a process to be observed, understood, and built together with the people and places most directly concerned.
The full interview videos recorded during the meeting will be released soon on our communication channels, offering a closer look at the voices and experiences that helped shape these three days in Cinque Terre.