This short course deals with the structure and evolution of the Alps and related mountain belts and basins that surround the Mediterranean Sea. The goal is to understand the processes, both deep-seated and at the surface, that lead to the development of these arcuate mountain belts forming the borders of small, mobile tectonic plates. Particular emphasis is placed on relating the present geometry of the mountains belts to their deep structure as imaged in the light of ongoing AlpArray seismological campaign. The course comprises a lecture series held by experts in the fields of tectonics, seismology, and thermomechanical modelling as applied to the Alpine chains.