The special issue arises out of an international workshop on “Tools, data and models for 3D seismotectonics: the Italian laboratory over time” that was held in Perugia on 9–10 July 2019. The workshop was organized by the Inter-University CENTRE for 3D Seismotectonics (CRUST, Italy) to commemorate Professor Giampaolo Pialli, who died suddenly 20 years ago, at the age of 59. Giampaolo was an open-minded and inclusive researcher of the University of Perugia, especially keen on the use of multidisciplinary and multi-scale approaches in active and sustained geological processes of deformation. The main aim of the workshop was to promote new research and interdisciplinary collaborations among structural geologists and geophysicists who operate in the field of seismotectonics, at local and regional scales, with the common goal to reach a deep understanding of earthquake–fault interactions and to build realistic 3-D structural–seismotectonic fault models for better evaluation of seismic hazards with consequent seismic risk reduction.

This special issue has the purpose of collecting high-quality papers presented at the workshop but is not restricted to these. The main goal is to put together a reference volume that contains the most innovative and as complete as possible knowledge on Italian seismotectonics and seismogenesis, analysed at various spatial and temporal scales and taken as a methodological example for multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies in other areas of high seismic hazard.

The main topics of interest include

• observational seismology for seismotectonics and earthquake mechanics;
• active tectonics and surface faulting;
• geophysical data and modelling for seismotectonics;
• 3-D geometric–kinematic and dynamic active and evolutionary fault models.