The tourist valorisation of rural areas and the role of the Atlas of the paths of Italy

Abstract

The rural areas in Italy are made up of small municipalities that despite being extensive in area are sparsely populated. These marginal areas are affected by problems such as rural exodus, loss of tradi‑ tions, abandonment of the territory, etc. Despite this, in these small centers there is a rich cultural and environmental heritage that can be exploited to create new socio‑economic opportunities through tourism. Among the main tools used to achieve these goals are cultural itineraries. This article aims at analysing the potential of routes for the sustainable development of rural areas through the Digital Atlas of the paths of Italy. The methodology is based on the theory of the original Italian government programme and an in‑depth analysis of the Santa Barbara route, in Sardinia. This work confirms that itineraries are useful for rural areas development, if there are unified rules and if the ICTs are implemented.