Analysing Italian Historical Small Towns: A Cultural and Geographic Mosaic of Identity

Cristina Ciliberto, Giuseppe Ioppolo, Giuseppe Caristi, Grazia Calabrò

2025

Abstract

The recent increase in the Tourism sector has underlined its economic centrality, contributing to 9,1% of global GDP in 2023. The European Union holds a significant position, counting more than 50% of international arrivals. This, in turn, can be translated into considerable economic effects that positively affect the member states. Among such states, Italy has been ranked in the top five international destinations, registering over 57 million tourist inflows. Such an increase has been driven by affluence in major cities and the modern trend of rediscovering historical small towns (HST). This research aims to analyse the components of this trend, underscoring the geographical position and features of the HSTs throughout the Italian territory. Moreover, a descriptive analysis with quantitative data and a SWOT analysis will be conducted to assess their distribution through the Italian territory and their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Preliminary findings reveal that regions such as Central Italy host the highest concentration of villages, while climate change and depopulation threaten their viability. By analysing these HSTs, the study aims to inform strategic planning for sustainable tourism development, enhancing local identities and preserving cultural heritage while positioning these areas as viable alternatives in the global tourism landscape.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Ciliberto C., Ioppolo G., Caristi G. and Calabrò G. (2025). Analysing Italian Historical Small Towns: A Cultural and Geographic Mosaic of Identity. In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Finance, Economics, Management and IT Business - Volume 1: FEMIB; ISBN 978-989-758-748-1, SciTePress, pages 217-223. DOI: 10.5220/0013426600003956

in Bibtex Style

@conference{femib25,
author={Cristina Ciliberto and Giuseppe Ioppolo and Giuseppe Caristi and Grazia Calabrò},
title={Analysing Italian Historical Small Towns: A Cultural and Geographic Mosaic of Identity},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Finance, Economics, Management and IT Business - Volume 1: FEMIB},
year={2025},
pages={217-223},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0013426600003956},
isbn={978-989-758-748-1},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Finance, Economics, Management and IT Business - Volume 1: FEMIB
TI - Analysing Italian Historical Small Towns: A Cultural and Geographic Mosaic of Identity
SN - 978-989-758-748-1
AU - Ciliberto C.
AU - Ioppolo G.
AU - Caristi G.
AU - Calabrò G.
PY - 2025
SP - 217
EP - 223
DO - 10.5220/0013426600003956
PB - SciTePress