‘Cammini d’Italia.’ On-going strategies for the landscape between business and preservation of tangible and intangible values

Among plenty of stimulating issues presented in the Strategic Plan for Tourism (Piano Strategico di Sviluppo del Turismo – PST), conceived inside the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism (MIBACT), the reader’s attention is caught by the statement that Italy is still taking advantage of its glorious past but with a weak approach: travelling across the country still means visiting selected destinations and following standard tours. Not only does the PST underline how some destinations are dangerously under pressure - a well-known criticism - but also it highlights that tourist's appreciation towards a more authentic and original, more personalized and exclusive journey experiences is now increasing. This might be the opportunity to overcome the perception of a country fragmented into few destinations. The experience of the landscape as a continuum, supported by slow and green mobility is sustained by the PST as a marketing strategy and assumed as its main goal. Part of this strategy, Cammini d’Italia, seems not only to fulfill a requirement for a more articulated entertainment offer and to encourage less crowded and standard journeys but also, and hopefully, to foster a wider and detailed environmental care. Emilia Romagna region is one among the twenty regions in Italy where the enhancement of religious historical pathways and its traditions is most lively. The research has collected and explored this regulations framework and the strategic plans by different stakeholders in the last couple of years. Atlante dei Cammini and the corresponding strategy by this region (Turismo esperienziale dei cammini 2016) are the topics of this analysis. Their intersections and convergences have been underlined, while previsions and real experiences require to be tried in due course. Among these, ICH (Intangible Cultural Heritage) itself, whose regulations is still weak, requires a special care not to be overwhelmed or misunderstood.