The 2022 edition of the Rome Travel Show showed some wonderful places to visit and proved to be a fundamental meeting to learn about the rooting tourism strategies of the Lazio Region and the work of the Town Ambassadors.
Valentina Corrado, Councilor for Tourism and Local Villages of the Lazio Region, organized and moderated an interesting round table on root tourism, inviting experts in the sector, including some of the main protagonists of the Felicita Back Home project in Settefrati.
Each of us has declined in a personal way the figure of the tourist of the roots and the opportunities that occur when a town is visited by Italian descendants.
The meeting began with an emblematic title of 'the Argentine Cousins' presented by Vanesa Di Martino Creide of the Argentine embassy, who told how over half of Argentine citizens have Italian origins, and continued with Letizia Senisi who published the volume 'Rooting Experience Planning'. The first part ended with Carlo Barbieri's ‘Italics’, that describes all the people who are united by Italian culture.
The second part of the meeting was dedicated to the Town Ambassadors and the project of the regeneration of town of Settefrati through a collaborative project between the community of residents and that of descendants abroad.
We started by introducing the feelings that drive 'nostalgia tourism', as it is called in Spain, and how we should focus not only on tourism but on building new bridges and bonds that unite young people from different parts of the world who have common roots.
The Felicita Back Home project is a large project for the revitalization of a village that has become depopulated over the years, but it is also a communication plan of an entire territory. A communication aimed at a particular target of people: all young people who love small villages and would like to rediscover the emotions told by their grandparents.
Young people who could become 'temporary citizens' or 'digital nomads' by spending a few months in their village of origin every year.
The closing of the day was particularly exciting with two Town Ambassadors testimonials, people who had left their town but who work to recreate new social and economic ties with Italy.
The first to speak was the Scottish Cesidio Di Ciacca, Town Ambassador of the village of Picinisco where he returned to live for many months a year and where he created a winery that produces one of the best Italian wines.
The last speech was by Canadian Tony Malizia, Town Ambassador of Settefrati, who spoke with a link via Zoom.
As happens when someone tells his own story, the words of Cesidio and Tony touched the hearts of listeners and stimulated many reflections on the power of these bonds. Bonds that once are reconnected can lead to incredible surprises and territorial development.
The meeting of the Lazio Region was so interesting and intense that the councilor Valentina Corrado was stormed not only by questions from the public but by a group of councilors from the Oristano area in Sardinia Region who invited her to hold a series of conferences in their region and to meet local representatives of the institutions.
Thanks to this meeting, the Lazio Region becomes one of the engines of innovation projects in root tourism and in the development of small towns.
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