Sustainable development prospects for Italian coastal cultural heritage: a Ligurian case study

Abstract

This paper aims to present preliminary key findings from an investigation conducted in the framework of the Progetto Finalizzato Beni Culturali (Special Project for Safeguarding Cultural Heritage), convened by the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR—National Research Council). The investigations focused on the role of cultural heritage as a positive force in the operation of integrated coastal management programmes in ways consistent with the application of Agenda 21 in the Italian coastal zone (http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/agenda21.htm). The region of Liguria, in northwestern Italy facing the Ligurian Sea, has been taken as a case study because it is one of the richest Italian regions as regards cultural heritage and one of the most subject to human pressure. The initial phase of the research focused on the role of museums, with the aim of devising scenarios to integrate them optimally into coastal programmes and plans. It also considered a number of landscape and cultural characteristics of the region taking into account the influence exerted by the geographical distribution of these resources. The paper reports on this stage by reviewing planning and the role of coastal cultural heritage in Italy; exploring the Ligurian geographical context and its significance for the nature and distribution of cultural heritage resources; examining a discernable expansion of cultural heritage tourism within the region; sketching scenarios for encouraging this development based on museum-orientated itineraries; and identifying a range of obstacles confronting the successful creation of such itineraries. The ultimate aim of the work is the development of guidelines to be addressed to decision-making centres, and particularly to coastal regional authorities to ensure the optimum inclusion of cultural heritage in the framework of coastal management programmes and planning.