The eyes of the world are on Puglia, which confirms itself as an attractive brand, a model of virtuous development for good sustainable practices based on culture and the enhancement of tourism policies. The fourth edition of the workshop “Puglia, a way of life” was particularly well attended, confirming its usual success, recounting synergies, projects and related results.
The Foreign Press Association conference room at Palazzo Grazioli in Rome was packed, and many people were connected via streaming.
The rich afternoon opened with the speech of the special guest, Luca Bianchi, general director of Svimez, an expert in economics and territorial development policies who took stock of economic data linked to the world of production and regional work. Identity and innovation of Puglia are the main themes, as objectives to be achieved, after a positive economic season for the region, which runs from 2019 to 2023, establishing it as the most dynamic in Italy, with GDP growing by 6.1%. The objectives to work towards are to strengthen industrialisation, i.e. an industrial approach to the management of the system, to attract foreign investments, internationalization and innovation, universities and research, and to combat brain drain.
What has emerged from institutional voices is that we are continuing on the path of growth, as stated by the tourism councilor Gianfranco Lopane, so that the most consolidated and recognizable destinations can also be joined by lesser-known destinations in the hinterland. The region confirms its attractiveness also thanks to the seaside model that enjoys excellent waters: also this year the cleanest in Italy. Around the sea, which is the main resource, numerous activities are developed that enrich the offer, such as water sports, boating and cruising. Not only sea therefore, Puglia is a destination for sustainable outdoor tourism, thanks to the walks, cycling and dedicated hospitality.
“Puglia has managed to carve out a space of recognition on the international scene that comes from the beauty of its places, the iconicity of its traditions, but also from the ability to propose an alternative paradigm of life, based on sustainability, hospitality, conviviality and commitment to legality along the path indicated, years ago, by Cassano’s ‘Pensiero Meridiano'”, It reaffirmed Viviana MatrangolaCouncilor for Culture and Legality of the Puglia Region. “In these days – he concluded – the Regional Council has given the green light to the ‘Apulian Manifesto of cultural welfare’, which commits all those involved in the development of the cultural offer to greater integration between the culture and well-being systems. In Puglia we are convinced that, through culture, people, territories and communities can write or rewrite the most beautiful pages of their lives.”
«At the end of a European planning cycle, we can speak with facts. – says Aldo Patruno, director of the Department of Tourism, Economy of Culture and Promotion of the Territory of the Puglia Region – We have spent everything that was allocated to us: 6 billion of European funds. Of these, 1 billion and 600 million were invested in tourism and culture, which represent a fifth of the regional GDP. The Regional Strategic Plan for Culture was designed in 2016 on a ten-year basis, with the aim of structuring an economy of culture, which was created by joining tourism. We have exceeded 16 million presences in 2023, with a demand for international and high-spending tourism.”
The Director of Economic Development of the Puglia Region, Gianna Elisa Berlingerioillustrated the talent attraction strategies implemented in Puglia, consolidated by research, development and innovation.
Paul Pontius, president of the Apulian Public Theatre, got to the heart of the Apulian lifestyle: “Instead of talking about narration we should talk about story, because there is a tradition in Puglia of stories, of “cunti”, transmitted orally. We develop cultural activities that pervade the Apulian territory through the intellectual liveliness of the cities and towns. Ours, more than villages, are towns, inhabited by farmers who have cultivated the land and the sea and have become cultured. Culture and cultivation go hand in hand. I refer to the principles of the workshop. Cultural welfare: I would translate it into the well-being of people who enjoy cultural activities, the leaven of everyone’s life. Beauty and authenticity, throughout Puglia, in places renowned for their authenticity. Tradition and innovation: it is the intangible heritage, what we transmit is what we create immaterially.
Rocco De Franchi, responsible for institutional communication of the Puglia Region, reiterated how, thanks to good transparent communication strategies, Puglia is a leader in the South, putting aside wrong stereotypes that affirms itself as a land of opportunities.
Among the virtuous cases, two activities of high cultural value were presented: the Festival della Valle d’Itria in Martina Franca, one of the longest-running and most established events in Southern Italy, dedicated to opera, in its 50th edition, through words of the president Michael Punzi who also presented the trailer of the documentary film “L’utopia della Valle” by Leo Muscato; the exhibition “G7: seven centuries of Italian art”, through the words of Pierangelo Argentieripresident of the Micexperience business network.
The values of Italian history and culture have many ambassadors, among these a prominent place is occupied by the Amerigo Vespucci, the ship considered “the most beautiful in the world”, which in these months is busy with the tour of the globe, touching 28 countries of the five continents. Ambassador of Unicef and Unesco, she tells the story of Italian excellence. Not everyone knows that its designer was a genius from Puglia, to be precise from Foggia, Francesco Rotundi In connection, the Captain and the Apulian Chef on board told their experience of exporting Made in Italy.
The proceedings concluded with a special guest: the young musician Beatrice Rana, an excellent Apulian who has become an international star of the piano. The musician talked about her festival Classiche Forme, now in its eighth edition, which takes place in Salento.
The workshop was led by the Dutch journalist Norma Waltmann it’s yes Mimmo Mazza, director of “La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno”.
