The 20 th and 29 th May 2012 are dates that will be etched into Emilians' memories forever. On those days, terrible earthquakes killed 28 and wounded 300, with 45 thousand people evacuated and 12.2 billion euros of damage, affecting 59 municipalities in the provinces of Modena, Ferrara, Bologna and Reggio Emilia. The efforts made to restore services, schools, jobs, places, piazzas, and social opportunities to those communities have never stopped, continuously supported by the achievement of goals set by the Emilia-Romagna Region from the beginning: reopening schools in time for the beginning of the school year, continuity of and attention to public services, support for work and industrial and agricultural production, "no to new towns", and plans for interventions on the huge amount of cultural heritage damaged. A commitment sustained by the desire to start again, and the courage to do so immediately, has consistently distinguished the communities hit. Right from the beginning they expressed the need to not give up, the will to help each other, the hope to come out of this stronger than before, this time too.Today, the reconstruction work is 90% complete -private reconstructions (homes and companies) are almost finished, and the reconstruction of public spaces and the historical-artistic heritage is underway, and it is this that we are concentrating on the most, in order to bring it to completion.Along with the reconstruction, for a few years the Emilia-Romagna Region has also been focusing on the promotion of a culture of seismic prevention and risk management -topics that need to inspire great interest through widespread campaigns from all institutions, in collaboration with universities and research institutes.For this purpose, a permanent collaboration has been established with the universities of the area and the "Clusters" of the regional economic system, and taking place in this context is the international summer school, "After the Damages", which has the goal of addressing topics in the area of risk management relating to natural disasters, starting from the experience gained following the seismic events of May 2012, and training students, graduates, and directors in public administration, governing bodies and international organisations, as well as researchers, specialists and professionals.A unique opportunity to bring many different professional views to the same table, both public and private, so that they can address topics that are essential for the future of our territory and our communities with an interdisciplinary approach. This occasion, as the records collected in this volume demonstrate, continues to open up results and best practices from the reconstruction in Emilia to opportunities for diffusion and discussion, also with the international academic and scientific worlds, which yet again guarantee the quality of the work carried out and the integrity of the routes taken.