Abstract The northernmost coastal sector of the Italian peninsula from the La Spezia Gulf to Monte Pisano, including the Alpi Apuane mountain range, represents a special morpho-structural domain of the inner northwestern Apennines. Described by naturalists since the Roman age, its location on the land and sea track of the Italian Grand Tour makes it a special zone in the Italian peninsula that was visited by some of the most eminent European geologists of the nineteenth century, including Brongniart, Buckland, De la Beche, Hoffman, Escher von der Linth, Murchison and Lyell. The area has been also the homeland of naturalists and scientists who played a significant role during the nineteenth century in the advancement of geological studies in Italy. Thanks to Capellini's ‘Geological map of the La Spezia Gulf and surroundings’ (1863) and Zaccagna's ‘Geological maps of the Alpi Apuane’ (1879–97), the area became central in the history of the foundations of modern Italian geological maps. However, the opportunities provided by early mapping and palaeontological discoveries for developing tectonic concepts were squandered by Italian Apennines geologists, who remained stuck on explanations of autochthonism, thus missing an early recognition of nappe tectonics that was only accepted in the middle of the twentieth century.

Abstract The European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) Project provides freely available data on European seas. The main purpose of EMODnet is to overcome the fragmentation and dishomogeneity of the available data, providing access to a harmonized and interoperable database. The EMODnet Geology Lot includes information at multiple scales on the seabed and its substrate ( http://www.emodnet-geology.eu/ ). The dataset on ‘Geological events and probabilities’ collects information on landslides, earthquakes, volcanic structures, active tectonics, tsunamis and fluid emissions. The Geological Survey of Italy, which coordinates the collation of ‘Geological events and probabilities’ data, provided guidelines to compile layers complemented by comprehensive and detailed patterns of attributes for each feature in order to characterize each type of geological event. Occurrences of events are often associated with each other, particularly in tectonically active areas. Geological events affect both submerged and coastal environments. Data gathered by EMODnet Geology provide a good basis for further studies, contributing to the outlining of different tectonic settings and providing support to the use of marine resources, as well as to the management of marine-coastal areas particularly regarding the identification and assessment of geological and environmental hazards.