Through the recording of historical and recent events data, three different landslides inventory of the Messina town territory have been created. The first collects information about localization and date of historical landslides occurred between the XVI century and 2011. The second collects ground effects induced by the 1908 earthquake registered in numerous technical reports compiled by expert researchers and technicians of that time. The third gathers recent landslides and was carried out through field activities, by reviewing aerial photographs for the years 2007 and 2009 and by analysis of Google satellite images. These three landslides inventories represent a source of specific information, essential for the knowledge and the analysis of the territory. They represent a valid tool not only for experts in the sector but also for everyone who faces the issues linked to the geomorphologic risk assessment. Nevertheless the information on the landslide characteristics constituted the basis for the definition of the landslide susceptibility map and landslides’ trigger rainfall thresholds of the area. . © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015.