**5. Conclusions**

The analysis of historical climate data shows that climate change has notably affected temperature and rainfall patterns in Italy. Many international reports forecast that Italy is going to be more vulnerable to climate change over the coming decades. In Italy, heritage resources are a driving factor for social cohesion and the national economy; thus maintenance of these resources necessitates urgen<sup>t</sup> attention in developing adaptation policies at heritage sites. This study examined methods for strengthening the adaptation capacity at cultural and natural heritage sites in Central Italy. Our analysis revealed that floods and landslides are two significant climate-related risks that threaten Central Italy. However, different municipalities have different vulnerability levels to these risks based on their information and skills, and their institutional preparedness. This study further develops the concept of cultural heritage as a system of synergistic relationships between the unique qualities of the physical environment, the built environment, and the anthropic environment. Therefore, climate adaptation policies must integrate these three aspects to be effective at conserving and protecting cultural and natural heritage. In this respect, we propose the European Landscape Convention as a potential conservation framework for the development of adaptation policies in Central Italy. This convention takes a regional approach to cultural heritage that makes it distinct from the UNESCO vision. The European Landscape Convention takes the holistic and social landscape into consideration, while the approach of UNESCO is less regional and less place-specific in its focus. Integrating the European Landscape Convention with territorial planning also promotes communication among different sectors and stakeholders. Such a territorial vision for the conservation of heritage resources can effectively reduce the cost of climate change in terms of flood and landslide in Central Italy. Our analysis also shows that different municipalities have different levels of vulnerability to these risks based on their information and skills and institutional preparedness. One reason is that environmental organizations and public communication by scientists play a marginal role in terms of climate adaptation of cultural landscapes in Central Italy. Further research is required to understand how territorial planning can reduce organizational tensions in defining protection priorities as well as assessing stakeholder preparedness for necessary actions in terms of managing climate change and natural risks.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, A.S.D., S.B.A.; methodology, A.S.D., S.B.A., and A.C.; writing—original draft preparation, A.S.D., S.B.A.; writing—review and editing, A.S.D., S.B.A., A.C., M.S., and G.D.L.; supervision, S.B.A., A.C., and G.D.L.; All authors have read and agree to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This paper was developed in the frame of Italy–USA Resilient Landscapes (RELAND), funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy (MAECI), gran<sup>t</sup> number of PGR06129.

**Acknowledgments:** The authors wish to express their special thanks to the US and Italian partners of the RELAND project for their precious collaboration.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
