Promoting Geoheritage in the Aspiring Geopark of Taburno-Camposauro (Southern Apennines, Italy) with Innovative Tools

Abstract

In the inland areas of Campania (Italy), the Taburno-Camposauro Regional Natural Park covers almost 137 square kilometres. It well represents, in the reliefs that give it its name, the southern segment of the Apennine chain. In fact, the rock outcrops, landscape features and surface and ground water make it possible to reconstruct the geological evolution of this area. Nonetheless, it is possible to understand how the history of man, who has frequented these places since ancient times, has developed by taking advantage of the resources offered by this territory. Among these resources, it is believed that the characteristics of the geological heritage spread throughout the Park can also be an opportunity to attract not only researchers, but also significant tourist flows. To this end, not only has the procedure been initiated to be included in the world network of Geoparks, but efforts have also been made to promote the most representative geological sites using the latest communication tools (e.g., social media). Besides these, numerous initiatives aimed at schools and national tourism agencies were developed. Promotion found particular emphasis with the realisation of an art installation by a well-known author in a water catchment system. In fact, this installation triggered an artistic vein around the beauty of the sites, manifested by videos and photo exhibitions and even forms of entertainment. These events have increased interest in the geological heritage, as evidenced by the increase in visitors observed by a specific analysis of the performance of social media posts, as well as frequent visitors to the geoheritage elements of the Park.