Physical modelling is an extremely useful tool for the study of the triggering process of shallow landslides. For this reason, in this work, numerous laboratory tests have been performed using a specific flume test apparatus. A wide range of initial soil conditions (i.e. porosity and water content) has been investigated to analyze the induced effect on failure time and mode, even simulating the presence of preferential flow directions within the soil. Different tests have been performed also reproducing, on a laboratory scale, the landslide event occurred on October 1, 2009, in the area where the testing material was sampled (i.e. Giampilieri, north-eastern Sicily, Italy). Furthermore, the experimental results have been employed to verify the capability of shallow landslide instability prediction (SLIP), a simplified stability model for the prediction of shallow landslide occurrence, to reproduce the triggering process.