The Gulf of Poets: a heritage to enhance

Abstract

Historically, Italy has devoted less attention and resources to literary heritage than to other types of heritage, probably because at an institutional level the concept of intangible heritage has long been linked to that of tangible heritage, as established by Cultural Heritage and Landscape’s Code. Among the safeguard’s initiatives of the literary heritage, there is the establishment of literary parks and cultural parks. Amid the latter there is the Gulf of Poets’ cultural park, essentially inactive nowadays. Literary tourism in the Gulf of Poets began to develop towards the end of the 19th century and during the 20th century commemorative plaques were affixed to remember the poets and writers who stayed in the gulf. Despite the literary importance of the Gulf of Poets, the publications concerning it are limited to a few authors or areas, just as the enhancement interventions are disorganized. In recent years, municipalities and local associations have organized exhibitions, theatrical performances, literary itineraries and land storytelling projects aimed at promoting the literary heritage of the Gulf of Poets. What is lacking, however, is a thick knowledge of the existing heritage, spread over a large territory, and above all a network between the stakeholders. Precisely for this reason, the current enhancement activities, that are sporadic and fragmented, fail to highlight the potentiality of the literary heritage of the Gulf of Poets.