Indentation is used to define the collisional mechanics of small plates flanked by large subduction systems creating significant thickening and lateral escape of continental units. The close spatial proximity creates a situation where deformation is actively transferred between different subduction systems during their different stages of orogenic evolution. We study this transfer by observation and modelling of indentation and orogenic evolution in the Central Mediterranean system. The evolution of the greater Adriatic microplate has been described by studies in the Central and Eastern Alps, Apennines, their connection with the Dinarides and the lateral escape into the Pannonian Basin.