The SpongeScapes team gathered in Padua, Italy, from 15 to 17 September for three days of discussions, exchange and field visits as the project enters its final year of implementation.

Hosted at Corte Benedettina, a former monastery dating back to the 15th century and now used by the University of Padua, the General Assembly brought partners together to review progress and look ahead to the months ahead, when the project’s monitoring and modelling results, guidance, toolkits and other outputs will come together.

On 7 July, the University of Padua hosted Italy's National Sponge Day, bringing together researchers, urban planners and local authorities to exchange experiences on implementing sponge measures across urban, agricultural and peri-urban landscapes.

In the SpongeScapes project, monitoring natural water retention measures over different seasons and years is key to understanding their effectiveness. This summer, the University of Padova team carried out essential maintenance on their Italian case study sites in the Municipality of Santorso and Agripolis in the Veneto region.

The Agripolis site (see also related case studies 09 and 10) is located near the Venetian Pre-Alps, crossed by the Leogra and the Timonchio rivers and artificial channels crucial for historical manufacturing, irrigation, and runoff control. The case study is located in the Veneto region that signed the Mission Charter of the EU Mission on Climate Adaptation.