A Project of Enhancement and Integrated Management: The Cultural Heritage Agency of Locride

The paper is part of an applied research study on the Locride Area of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria for the implementation of management and sustainable development models based on endogenous resources. The context covers an area of 1.355 Km2, for a total of 42 municipalities; for each town the study has identified the relevant assets (tangible and intangible) as key elements to structure the demand for cultural tourism and a potential new offering and management: the Cultural Heritage Agency of Locride. The data collection lays the groundwork for the guidelines processing of the cultural tourism’s growth of the area, according to the Next Generation EU instrument with its Recovery and Resilience Facility (the Italian PNRR). This paper represents the first step of a research study that employs an effective context analysis as a scientific basis for a systemic local development proposal based on a new management model of cultural heritage in a highly fragile environment. The analysis and surveys point out some strengths and weaknesses of the cultural heritage management, in terms of quantitative consistency, reputation on tourist market and current attractiveness highlighting the differences between intermediate and peripheral areas.