ABSTRACT
This paper concerns North coastal Tuscany (ancient Etruria), Italy. Multidisciplinary diachronic research provides evidence of palaeo-environmental changes, of water and risk management practices and of rural and urban landscapes both in the coastal district and the hinterland. From north to south the littoral is articulated in three sections: the Luni - Livorno shoreline, which prograded westwards from the 2nd-1st cent. BC up to about 1830; the Livorno terrace and Livorno-Castiglioncello coastal strip, which are rocky and stable; the Vada - Cecina shoreline, which is low and stable. In the Luni - Livorno district, the coastal and hydrologic evolution strongly affected the seaand river ports. Three main critical phases are identified, dated to the early 5th century BC, the late Republicanearly imperial period and late Antiquity. The cities Pisa, Volterra, Lucca and Luni are examined in their changing landscapes.
