BRICS Living Labs organised by the Union of Municipalities Lands and Rivers
24/06/2024
The Union of Municipalities Lands and Rivers organised BRICS living lab as round tables discussion and debate about the landmarks of its inner area. The rounds was organised on 12 June 2024 at the premisise of Union of Lands and Rivers (Copparo).
Both rounds were attended by key stakeholders of tourism and non-tourism sector (such as SMEs, hosting facilities managers, restaurateurs, cultural or tourism associations, citizens etc.) and several topics were presented and discussion by participants. Some facilitators helped and moderated the two round tables.
The involvement of stakeholders was essential to hear the territorial requests and complete the desk analyses. The aim was to bring out in a shared way the main reference landmarks of the inner area, as they are perceived by local actors.
The key to the work in twofold: firstly, to identify the elements of identity for the local community or highly representative of the territory, and secondly to determine those elements which may have significant characteristics in terms of tourist attractive.
The participants suggested and shared personal proposals relating to the main identity elements of the territory and then the groups worked on merging the proposals and building connections and insights to build a first map of territorial landmarks.
The main identified landmarks and connections:
The plain offers a dimension of easy use, with few difficulties, and is therefore suitable for welcoming families with children or elderly people. It offers the possibility of real experiences that can be exploited from a tourist perspective, such as watching sunsets. The liquid element represents a connection bridge between the city of Ferrara and the coast, because the water and the plain lend themselves to enhancing slow mobility, such as river or cycle-pedestrian mobility.
On both fronts, a key element is the strengthening of services as rest stations equipped with shade, refreshment and repair services and catering and hospitality services. About catering and hospitality services, the living lab has identifies some positive experiences, which could act as a model for creating virtuous circles between youth activism, inclusion policies, local animation and collaboration between associations and municipalities.
About the architectural elements, the living labs underlined the city of Tresigallo as a metaphysical city, remembering however the lack of restaurants and hospitality services. Other important architectural elements in the territory of the Union are the “Delizie Estensi”: the 4 historic buildings could be an element of promotion, also interesting with a view to building joint actions with neighboring territories, such as Argentano, which in turn hosts 3 “Delizie Estensi”.
The living lab groups came to the conclusion that the network of both river and cycle connections could be strengthened as well as the dialogue with the city of Ferrara on the one hand and the Delta on the other.
The framework for building a path could be the Renaissance one. The historical/artistic heritage is already mapped and available on the local tourist promotion website (www.terrefiumidavivere.it), but it is recognized that this is little known.
It is noted that it is important, once the local tourist offer has been built, to promote it in the right channels, since various circuits in neighboring territories enjoy continuous tourism, including foreign tourism, and it would be important to identify the right places to activate tourism marketing strategies.
Starting from the suggestion of the word roots, living labs remember how important it is to work on even intangible heritage, on the return to the roots which is also a return of those who have emigrated. This identifying theme could be the key to building bridges with other national areas where the descendants of expatriate Ferrara residents live, building networks of expanded identities and possibilities for original forms of rural tourism.