Methodologies and Activities to Promote Geotourism. The Case Study of the Cannobina Valley (NW Italy)

During the last decade there has been a growing attention by citizens and public Administration towards the protection and preservation of the landscape. This has contributed to develop alternative offers including those whose main focus is related with the geological and geomorphological components of the territory. Over the last 10 years in Piemonte region several projects aimed at the definition of methodologies for collecting data, evaluating and promoting sites with geological and geomorphological interests have been carried out. This work produces a further contribution using an integrated approach combining the fundamental elements of geology and geomorphology with cultural, historical and artistic aspects of the Cannobina Valley (Piemonte, Verbania province, Italy). The main difficulties encountered during the promotional phase were, beyond the complexity of geological phenomena, also the spatial and temporal scale. For these reasons strategies and specific tools have been implemented in order to facilitate the comprehension by general public.