The Great War heritage site management in Trentino, northern Italy

Abstract

The preparations for the 100th anniversary of the Great War outbreak turn the lights on war heritage. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the war heritage site management in northern Italy considering the role of stakeholders and the marketing efforts to promote the renovated heritage sites. Trentino-Alto Adige, an Italian Alpine region, constitutes the area of this study. In the Great War, the region, one of the historical border areas of Italy under the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, witnessed heavy fighting in extreme environmental conditions. The tangible heritage of the frontline in the high Alps has recently been renovated and marketed in tourism. The conservation efforts to revalue the sites and to promote thematic routes linking war heritage in the region have gained interest from stakeholders. However, the institutions, museums, voluntary associations and tourism organizations involved in site management have different priorities. The findings show that significant effort has been invested to conserve and to exploit war heritage, however, regarding site management and visitor interpretation for international tourists’ needs seem to be neglected.