Travel: Lessons from Italy

When I travel overseas, my interest is usually historical sites and cities. At the same time, as someone who has long been engaged in the cause of heritage conservation, I look at how heritage is conserved and managed and cannot help but make comparisons with India.

A recent trip to southern Italy was particularly enlightening. Like India, Italy has a rich and layered history, and a well documented architectural heritage.

The most prominent attractions of course are the famous sites visited by large numbers of tourists. It is suggested that it may be damaging to such sites to increase tourist numbers further, or in any case large numbers adversely affect the experience of individual tourists. How then can the revenue potential of these sites be optimised? Cafes and gift shops are obvious avenues, and these can be seen at many sites.

Another way is through the use of historical sites as event venues. The most impressive such use I saw was at the ancient Greco-Roman theatre at Taormina. Regular music, dance and theatre performances are held here through the summer. If done in a carefully regulated manner so that no damage is done to the ancient structures, this is a great way not only to bring in revenue, but also to keep the site alive in a meaningful way. Modern-day performances in the spectacular setting overlooking the Ionian Sea evoke the original ancient performances that must have taken place in the same location more than 2,300 years ago.

Another popular way of making ancient sites meaningful is through contemporary art installations. The most striking example of this is Syracuse. Settled by the Greeks in the 8th century BCE, Syracuse in time grew to be one of the most prominent cities of the ancient Greek world, rivalling Athens. Its history is not only complex, but full of violence. Nowhere is this more evident than in Latomia del Paradiso, a gigantic quarry worked by Athenian slaves, for whom it also served as a prison.

After its roof collapsed in an earthquake in 1693, sunlight streamed in and the religious order of Capuchin friars planted lush gardens of lemons and oranges in it. Today, one sees the marks of the ancient slaves in the quarry, and also the citrus gardens. The recent addition of large contemporary sculptural installations scattered through the space bring to life the often violent stories embedded in the landscape.

Such modern additions can add meaning, but there is at times the danger of misunderstanding. At Pompeii, well preserved after being buried for centuries in volcanic ash, I saw an equestrian statue which at first sight I took to be a part of the ruins!

Archaeological sites and ticketed monuments are only one component. Many of these sites are located close to living historical towns. For instance, the archaeological site of Syracuse and the adjoining bustling town of Syracuse-Ortigia. It has a fascinating Baroque cathedral that was once a Greek temple. Tourists, however, come here for more than this UNESCO World Heritage Site. They are keen to soak in the atmosphere in these picturesque and lively narrow streets. This and many other old towns in Italy have well preserved architecture, in the form of old buildings, squares and streets that are still lived in. The lived-in aspect is important. Visitors want to talk to the people who live there and eat the food that is typically theirs.

The benefits of tourism are very plain to see. Tourists stay longer, without putting an unnecessary burden on the archaeological site, as they move to the adjacent heritage areas. Here, they can enjoy shopping, eating and sometimes local festivities. All of these activities bring business to the local community, also giving them a stake in heritage. In the UNESCO World Heritage site of Alberobello, there was tourist accommodation being run out of the centuries-old stone houses, or trulli.

The tangible value associated with heritage — its commercial viability — leads to a greater awareness to preserve and use heritage structures. Many public institutions, such as government offices, are housed in such buildings.

Polignano on the Adriatic coast has a local international celebrity — the songwriter Domenico Modungo, who attained fame through the song ‘Volare’. The town has honoured him in different ways, including putting up a statue and stringing the lyrics of the song along a major street. This association with a popular cultural figure alone brings in visitors, in addition to instilling pride in citizens. The connect to popular culture can also be seen in the historic town of Matera, famous for the shooting of the James Bond film, ‘No Time to Die’.

Another important avenue of tourism that is well developed in Italy is agriturismo — farmhouse tourism. Working farms set aside part of their infrastructure to welcome tourists. I particularly remember a visit to a farm in the Sorrento area, where we were shown a lemon grove and learnt about some of the intricacies of lemon farming. This was followed by a demonstration of the process used to make mozzarella cheese, after which we sat down to eat a meal cooked using the produce grown on the farm, including the mozzarella made in front of our eyes, finishing with a taste of Limoncello, lemon liqueur made with their own lemons.

India, too, has many cities that still have their heritage precincts largely intact. I can think of the neighbourhood of Shahjahanabad, or ‘Old Delhi’. If the owners of the many heritage buildings within it could be given financial and technical support, they too could sustain an economically viable tourist-oriented business. Instead, all they can think of is to knock those buildings down to build characterless blocks of residential or commercial accommodation.

Similarly, our rural areas in different parts of the country could be doing much more to promote rural heritage tourism.

To achieve these aims, policies that support individual enterprise in a manner sensitive to heritage will have to be devised. Through better civic infrastructure, we will automatically draw in more visitors.