San Giovanni Rotondo flood works contested as Pietra Ligure trees cut

In San Giovanni Rotondo, the political group Allenza Verdi Sinistra (AVS) has urged the municipal administration to halt costly mountain hydraulic channel projects — estimated at up to €23 million for the west and east gronda works — and to redirect those funds toward completing urban flood‑mitigation infrastructure that remains unfinished. AVS notes that about 2,000 families still live in districts with open construction sites, unpaved roads, recurring floods and incomplete sewer connections, and argues that the mountain works have limited hydrological impact.

In the coastal town of Pietra Ligure, a resident’s open letter protests the unannounced removal of two mature maritime pines on via E. Montale. The letter criticises the municipality’s practice of replacing remaining green space with parking and cemented areas in a commune that ranks among the highest in Italy for soil consumption. The trees, described as healthy and providing essential shade, were cut without public notice, prompting concerns over loss of habitat and the broader trend of prioritising construction over urban greenery.