The historical evolution of the Tindari – Marinello spit (Patti, Messina, Italy)

The aim of this paper is to investigate the evolution of Tindari-Marinello spit, which comprises a natural reserve and small lakes between Tindari (west) and Oliveri (east) towns of Messina province (Sicily, Italy). In particular, the spit is certainly worthy of analysis because it represents a significant case study of interaction between human activities and geological evolution of the lakes and coastline. The paper will also provide data on antiquarian studies on Tindari and information on cartography, which are beneficial to understand the spit evolution through the past and present history.