Black Holes during the Epoch of Reionization

In this work, we study the co-evolution of central black holes and their hosts in the first billion year of the Universe. To this end, we have built Delphi, a model to simulate the formation, growth and evolution of galaxies and their central black holes, able to reproduce these observational constraints and at the same time to give us insights of yet unobserved properties. In particular, the open questions addressed in this thesis are the following: how can black holes grow so big in a relatively short timescale? How does this growth affect the host galaxies? Given the feedback process, is there a correlation between the physical properties of the black hole with those of the host galaxy? How does black hole growth depend on the size and mass of the host galaxy? Finding an answer to these questions will be important especially when looking at the future of Astronomy. Future space telescopes - like the James Webb Space Telescope, Athena, Lynx - will be able to directly observe the black hole population we have described here, and tell us what of our model works and what still needs to be refined, possibly bringing a better understanding of the exact role played by these supermassive black holes in our Universe

The ‘Deluge’ of 25 October 1822 in Genoa, Italy

Due to meteorological, geomorphological, and urban landscape features, the city of Genoa is frequently exposed to hydrological instability. Historical sources refer to floods since the early Middle Ages, while in the last few years the most impactful events with human losses took place in 2010, 2011 and 2014. Two centuries since its occurrence, using written reports, iconographical material and scientific reconstructions, the paper examines the flood of Genoa of 25 October 1822. In terms of rainfall data, surface effects and dynamics, this flood was one of the most destructive events of the city’s history

‘Saved from the sordid axe’: representation and understanding of pine trees by English visitors to Italy in the eighteenth and nineteenth century

Pine trees were frequently depicted and celebrated by nineteenth century English artists and travellers in Italy. The amateur artist and connoisseur Sir George Beaumont was horrified to discover in 1821 that many Roman stone pines were being felled and paid a landowner to preserve a prominent tree on Monte Mario. William Wordsworth saw this tree in 1837 and celebrated that it had been ‘Saved from the sordid axe by Beaumont's care’. Pines continued to be painted by amateurs and professionals including Elizabeth Fanshawe, William Strangways, Edward Lear, John Ruskin. These trees were also an important element of local agriculture; in parts of Liguria they were grown in vineyards in an unusual type of coltura promiscua providing both support for the vines and fertiliser from pine needles; in Tuscany and Ravenna pine plantations and forests were an important source of pine nuts. In this paper we combine the analysis of local land management records, paintings and traveller’s accounts to reclaim differing understandings of the role of the pine in nineteenth century Italy

Art and landscape history: British artists in nineteenth-century Val d’Aosta (NW Italy)

This paper explores the value of landscape and topographical art for understanding contemporary landscapes of the Val d’Aosta, NW Italy. The region became very popular with British tourists in the early nineteenth-century and several amateur and professional artists depicted its landscapes. The paper focuses on the case study of Saint-Pierre, its castle and the surrounding landscapes, examining views by amateur artists like Elizabeth Fortescue and professionals such as John Brett. The examination of art, alongside written accounts, historical cartography and field data, provides insights into the landscape history of the Val d’Aosta. The analysis of the artists’ representations raises questions of landscape identity and characterisation and provides evidence for subtle changes in local land use practices which have had a significant impact on land use change. We suggest that this artistic heritage should be recognized as a source to help improve sustainable tourism in the area and to assist in the development of current land management policies

Heatwaves and physiological discomfort: the strange case of the year 2022 on the ‘Kiss Pass’ of Portofino Natural Park, Italy

Due to its cultural and landscape attractions, Portofino Natural Park is walked by thousands of hikers per year. In the Park's trail network, the path between Batterie and San Fruttuoso (known as “Passo del Bacio” translated to “Kiss Pass”) is one of the most popular because it is located on the edge of high rocky cliffs. Due to slope exposure and meteorological features, interventions by National Corp of Alpine and Speleological Rescue occur annually. The year 2022 was a record year, either for the particularly warm meteorological profile and the exceptional number of accidents recorde

Per un’ecologia politica dei Borderscapes: il caso del confine tra Polonia e Bielorussia nella foresta di Białowieża

Political ecology of borderscapes: the Poland-Belarus border in the Białowieża Forest. – The Białowieża Forest stretches across the Poland-Belarus border and it is considered as one of the most ecologically valuable forests of Europe. The area, which is partly protected for its natural value, has been historically interested by military operations including the recent construction of a fence along the border due to the migrant crisis between Belarus and the EU. Here migrants are used by Belarus as pawns in a game of blackmail with Poland and the other European countries, with serious implications on people’s life also due to the harsh climatic and environmental conditions of the area. The case of Białowieża suggests the potential of a new field of investigation on the militarisation of natural, protected areas in Europe as well as around the world