Three of North America's geoheritage sites and the lost 1863 exploration of Giovanni Capellini

Geoparks and the valorization of sites with a strong geoheritage component is a new frontier fos sustainable tourism. A UNESCO special recognition was established in 2015, and much work has been undertaken in establishing sites in Europe and Asia, yet only five localities have been recognized iby UNESCO in North America. This paper discusses three sites relevant to geoheritage - Pulpit Rock in Massachusetts, Montmorency Falls in Quebec and Niagara Falls in New York and Ontario - which were visited in 1863 by the newly appointed professo of geology at Bologna University, Giovanni Capellini. During his four-month journeu across northeastern North America, he made sketches, took notes and collected more than 2000 specimens that together provide a depth of perspective on the importance of the geoheritage of the sites he visited. We chose these sites, among the many visited by Capellini, because Niagara Falls is now seeking UNESCO recognition, ant the othe two, though no longer fully accessible, remain important tourist sites and areas of geological interest.