As the COVID-19 vaccine continues to be administered around the world, Sicily is working on its plan to bring the region back to economic health and well-being via tourism.
With a well-defined plan, Sicily, one of the five Italian autonomous regions, is planning a promotional relaunch of post-COVID tourism to recover the huge economic losses suffered in 2019 and 2020 in particular by this sector.
Some places more than others are at their economic limits, such as the province of Ragusa, an area that had grown a lot in recent years, along with Trapani.
The idea of organizing a pact between the finalist cities for the Italian capital of culture 2022 starts from Trapani in order not to waste the rich design heritage created and the great collaboration network activated starting from the winner, Procida Island.
They signed a pact of friendship between the 10 cities involved with Procida, the leader. Culture can help in post-pandemic recovery and is an indispensable path to support the cultural tourism sector and businesses.
The innovative initiatives of the Development Plan
The smaller islands of Sicily will be equipped with buses, minibuses, and other means of technological innovation to encourage eco-sustainable tourism.
In particular, in the Municipality of Malfa (Salina Island) the bus will be used for the future “Green Line,” a route that will include an environmental island with zero-impact mobility.
Nelle Madonie (the Madonie are one of the principal mountain ranges on the island of Sicily located in the northern part of the island) the “Forest Bathing Center” project has been launched which has as its objective the therapeutic and health potential of Madonie Park.
Here it will be possible to make forest immersions that enhance and demonstrate the high therapeutic value of native vegetation with specific routes and installations. In the post-pandemic period, this could be a winning solution.
Work has also begun on the arrangement of the house of Luigi Pirandello who was an Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays. He was awarded the 1934 Nobel. The house is located in the contrada Caos in Agrigento, one of the oldest cities in Sicily, and is included in the Valley of the Temples Archaeological Park in Agrigento, one of the most outstanding examples of Greater Greece art and architecture. The house is a rural construction of the late eighteenth century and will be adapted with the removal of architectural barriers and creating an avant-garde cultural space.
New funding for the restoration of the historic center of Palermo
Some of the planned interventions include:
The Monastery of the Discalced Carmelite Sisters at Kalsa, one of the most beautiful medieval neighborhoods in Palermo and the Spasimo complex, an unfinished Catholic church in the Kalsa neighborhood. Its intriguing history dates back to the Turkish emperor Soliman the II.
The Collegio della Sapienza alla Magione, the lighting of UNESCO monuments and pedestrian walkways, the Riso Museum Museo (a regional contemporary art museum), and the redevelopment of the “Gancia” – a historic church whose construction dates back to 1490 – are all concrete advertising and marketing initiatives proposed to Mibact (The Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism) by developing a unique national project.
The State Mint has decided to dedicate to Sicily on one of the 15 coins of the 2021 numismatic collection which reproduces the Sicilian cannoli, a typical Sicilian pastry, and the passito, a typical sweet wine, as well as the Temple of Concord of the Valley of the Temples, all symbols of excellence of tradition millennial Sicilian.
The pandemic has put a strain on the food & wine and tourism sectors, but it is hoped that Sicily can return to being a protagonist in the center of the Mediterranean.
