An intensive lidar measurement campaign was carried out in Potenza (40¿36'N--15¿44'E, 820 m above sea level (asl)) in conjunction with the Lidar in Space Technology Experiment (LITE) mission and primarily aimed at the validation of LITE stratospheric aerosol measurements. Potenza lidar measurements in coincidence with all five nighttime overpasses near southern Italy (September 11, 12, 17, and 18, 1994) are compared with simultaneous LITE data. Potenza lidar data appear to be highly correlated with LITE data both at 355 and 532 nm. Potenza lidar versus LITE measurements of the aerosol-scattering ratio show a correlation coefficient of 0.72--0.81 at 355 nm and 0.88--0.93 at 532 nm, with an average calibration coefficient of 0.92¿0.19 at 355 nm and 1.02¿0.07 at 532 nm. Comparisons are also made in terms of the average ¿ngstrom coefficient, whose values are consistent with submicrometer aerosol particles. Finally, Potenza lidar measurements of the aerosol layer base and top heights, the peak aerosol-scattering ratio and peak height, as well as of the aerosol scattering ratio at the cloud base appear to be consistent with measurements performed by other ground lidar stations in Europe during the LITE campaign as well as with the LITE data. ¿ 1998 American Geophysical Union