## 1 Introduction  
Applied geophysics, through the employment of different methodologies, represents a useful tool to map subsurface features in a non-invasive way, and up to date, successful documented researches in rural settings dealing with different research objectives are available in the literature. Geological investigations for characterizing faults [1; 2; 3], landslides [4; 5], paleo-morphologies [6; 7], litho-stratigraphiches [8; 9], aquifers [10], sinkoles [11; 12], and seepage detection [13] are generally carried out through electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) [1; 2; 3; 5; 7; 9], ground penetrating radar (GPR) [8; 10], seismic [2; 4; 5; 6], magnetic [14; 15; 16; 17] and gravity [18] methods. Archae-geophysical prospections are particularly common in applications for the detection of buried structures, tombs, and channels through the application of electromagnetic methods [19; 20], magnetometry [21], ERTs [22; 23], GPR [24; 25] or the combination of them. The diagnostics and the monitoring of buildings in architectural and engineering surveys are often reached by implementing linear variable displacement transducer [26], sonic tomography [27], infrared thermography [27; 28; 29] and GPR [30; 31; 32] because of the high resolution of results. In contrast, the geophysical exploration in urban environments for different purposes is currently in constant development. The consistent noise, the low signal-to-noise ratio, the reduced spaces to operate in, and the presence of paved surfaces, asphalt or complex layers disturbed by anthropological buried shallow artifacts and metallic structures represent a problematic difficulty in geophysical prospections that can significantly influence data quality. The rising interest of those aspects are evidenced by the inclusion of the matter in ad-hoc sessions of international workshops and conferences [33; 34; 35; 36] and by the increment of special issues of international journals aiming to provide an enrichment of showcases for urban geophysics [37; 38; 39]. Nevertheless, some applications can be found in current literature, providing information on cavity individuation [40], geological mapping [41; 42], archaeological investigations [43; 44; 45] and underground pipe detection [46; 47]. In this work, ground-sensing prospections were used to characterize the subsurface in the areas involved in the redesign project of Eleftheria Square (Nicosia, Cyprus) (Figure 1). The activities lasted more than ten years, from 2008 until today; the geophysical studies were an integral part of the project and here we report the various steps. The action was performed in the framework of a collaboration between University of Molise and the Nicosia Master Plan and was partly supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In particular, the research was in the frame of a scientific  
Figure 1: Location of Nicosia on a Google EarthTM satellite image (2020) of Cyprus (**a**), the historical center of Nicosia (Cyprus) with the indication of the three gates, Eleftheria Square and the surrounding area, the Green Line (the border line that separates the island and the city in two parts) and the main Ledras Street (**b**) and an ancient map enhancing the Venetian walls [48] (**c**). archaeological mission that had not only the function of scientific study but also represented a valuable tool for intercultural dialogue and development policies in the host country. The archeo-geophysical surveys performed at Famagusta Gate, Castellionissa Hall, Phafos Gate, the monumental complex of the Bedestan and Plateau Di Marche are within this project [49; 50]. The choice of Eleftheria Square as a study case is justified by the majesty and prestige of the construction project. In addition, as it provided for a distortion of the original setting with an enormous impact on its soils, the landscape and the urban system, there was the real need to acquire information before direct interventions.