Agrigento. Tourism and territory: resources, new institutional actors and project proposals

Agrigento constitutes one of Italy’s most problematic situations, exhibiting the most striking contrasts: the Valley of the Temples site’s wealth of landscapes and archaeological treasures and a widespread and varied practice of unauthorized building; the beauty and degradation of the city’s historic center besieged by inappropriately tall constructions; the elegance of the 19th century expansion and the growth of abject suburban developments; invasive road works that do not ensure efficient transit. In the sloping area that overlooks the sea, the Valley of the Temples Park is located, an exceptional mix of archaeological treasures and agricultural landscapes, but spoilt in many areas by various types of illegal development. The Park Agency was established in 2000 by special act by the Region of Sicily that emphasized the aesthetic and environmental importance of the place, in addition to its more traditionally recognized archaeological value, and put forth a number of principles which included an end to merely prohibitive development policies by way of “active protection,” planning and participation. The Park Agency is charged with the task of protecting and cultivating the site’s landscape and archaeological and environmental features, promoting archaeological research and sharing the fruits of such efforts with the public, developing the place’s social benefits and tourism potential, and providing for the demolition of unauthorized buildings after the approval of the Park Plan. The main goal of the Plan is that of reinforcing the Valley’s landscape identity through a series of projects carried out in the spirit of protection, recovery, rehabilitation and appreciation, and with the final outcome of expanding and diversifying tourist pathways throughout the park. The best estimates of plans and programs are not enough to trigger intervention, however, if you do not find a comprehensive framework of reference between the landscape capital and social capital and if you do not find a path marked by priority aimed at achieving the objectives, which coupled convergent policies and planning of public and private high-profile. If on the one hand there is a positive evolution of public administration that has sought to give new tools to schedule and plan the future of the community and the region, identifying targets for quality and enabling new forms of consultation and participation, on the other hand persist instead contrasts greatly within the political forces the economy, society and production categories that slow down decision-making processes and testing of a draft economic development centered on the use of their cultural heritage.