Rockfall at the Arvanitia Pathway, Nafplio, Greece: Protection of the Site with Respect to Its Unique Natural Beauty and Archaeological Interest

Abstract

The Akronafplia peninsula, located in the southern end of the historical town of Nafplio, the capital of Greece during the First Hellenic Republic (1821–1834), is an archaeological site which shows a special natural beauty and welcomes lots of visitors during the year. It consists mainly of Mesozoic blocky limestone, exposing 15–55 m high cliffs along the south and west slopes. Occasional rockfall events affect the popular 1 km long Arvanitia pathway, which extends along the foot of the slope. Stability analyses concerning various critical slopes along the pathway were carried out by IGME within a research project after a serious rockfall incident in January 2010. The aim of the project was to estimate the potential hazard and risk of the pathway by evaluating the slope stability in the study area and eventually to propose the appropriate mitigation measures. The high rockfall susceptibility of the rock mass combined to the height and steepness of the slopes, make the examined pathway extremely unsafe. The risk varies along the way, depending on the distance of the path from the cliffs, as well as on the thickness of vegetation in the inner zone, virtually acting as a natural trap of the falling rocks. However, where the trapping zone along the pathway is missing, protection measures are required, which may significantly alter the archeological and aesthetic character of Akronafplias’ landscape. Thus, an additional requirement of the study involved minimization of the visual effect imposed by the mitigation measures.