Matera is a world-renowned city for its almost prehistoric-like human shelters entangled on a hillside and named “I Sassi” (the stones). I Sassi shelters were evacuated for many years until UNESCO included it in its list of World Heritage sites. It is the first city in the South Italian region to enjoy said privilege – a bliss for the city that began to revive its “dormant treasure,” owing it to newcomers – artists of various cultures pioneering the Sassi renaissance.
Back in the 70s, I Sassi was an ideal location for a number of movie films. Among these, P.P.Pasolini (Il Vangelo secondo Matteo), King David (starring Richard Gere), and La Passione di Cristo by Mel Gibson. The latest generation of film directors have also contributed to further spread the image of this biblical-age portion of the city of Matera.
The Chamber of Commerce of Matera recently decided to create a network called Mirabilia. It includes UNESCO minor cities, “deliberately” excluding those already universally known, in order to promote them in a coordinated manner to Italian and foreign tourists. “In Italy we have a variety of traditions unique in the world, and every UNESCO World Heritage site, especially the minor ones, have a particular characteristic that distinguishes themselves from others,” said Angelo Tortorelli, President of Mirabilia. “Our project is to unite them all, enhancing the value and importance of each respective territory,” he added.
The Chamber of Commerce’s vision is to create a cooperation synonymous of strength and to break up the competition existing among territories.
“In this case, Union Camere’s idea is to create the force – our idea,” says Vito Signati, Director of the Chamber of Commerce of Matera. He added that it is to propose tourism off the beaten path, tourism with a soul. This year the project has been expanded as compared to last year and incorporates nine cities, namely: Brindisi, La Spezia, Genova, L’Aquila, Matera, Perugia, Salerno, Udine, and Vicenza.
“By connecting areas which have a common historical, cultural, and economic life, we wish to propose them to the attention of the domestic and international tourism consumer, with the objective to decentralize and extend their seasonality,” Signati said.
The final aim is to promote the services offered by each territory for the creation of custom-made package tours connecting the Mirabilia destinations. The new itineraries will be proposed for short and long weekends as well as one-week tours.
The handling of this very new (for Italy) type of tour packages has been assigned to Caldana Tour Operator, selected by Mirabilia for its high reliability and deep experience in the field. However, the mandate is not of exclusivity and is open to new applicants.
“The initiative will be presented in Moscow on October 11 to the local travel trade at the Italian Embassy venue, the Rimini travel mart, “TTG Incontri,” being held from October 17-19 and November 5 at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London. The highlight of the 2013 edition presentation will end in Matera on November 25 to 27 in connection with the “Cultural Tourism Fair.”
For more information, go to www.mirabilianetwork.eu
