TOURISM RESHUFFLE URGENTLY NEEDE

First topic message reminder :

This article was recently quoted in Debra Kolkka's blog "Bagni di Lucca and beyond" and other blogs. It is a recent article from The New York  Times and I find its contents frightening, but very true. The southern regions are not properly promoted and, from our own experience, Naples is a fascinating city and the Costiera Amalfitana and Paestum are simply wonderful and highly recommended. And I am only mentioning Campania... the South has much to offer. Just have a look and tell us what you think. Personally, I am appalled!
The New York Times article

Totally agree, Admin and Steve. This is why a complete reorganisation and reshuffle are needed. Coordination is vital and tourism is a national resource. Cannot be limited to regions doing their own promotion. Most tourists coming to Italy will not visit one region only. Even ourselves, although based in Tuscany, will take trips which cover some 6 different regions every time we go to Italy. 
While I am writing this, I have heard in the Spanish radio that tourism is helping enormously to take Spain out of the recession. Hundreds of thousands of tourists have spent their Easter holidays in Spain and tourism has reached 10% of the GDP... At a time of crisis these are important figues. Certainly, we do have a very active Minister for Tourism and, although the regions can do their own promotion, coordination of efforts plays an important role. 
Steve, as you said, perhaps it is a bit too much for Renzi, when there are so many things to be fixed...

This magnificent palace in Tuscany has been abandoned and forgotten. Fortunately, it is now being restored and converted into a hotel, apartments and other uses Abandoned technicolor palace

Blimey Gala.  Bling or what?!!  

A bit over the top and not my style at all, but unique and with an interesting story Castello di Sammezzano
Glad to see that it has been restored and it is no longer abandoned to deteriorate.

Some bathroom, but I would abandon that place as well!!!

Must have been built for a Russian ............. ugly place

You have all lost the plot. It is the tourists who are at fault.

The Original Relaxed wrote:You have all lost the plot. It is the tourists who are at fault.

Get your head out of that glass and explain....  

Thinking about it Lax, you are a bit of a tourist here yourself   

Geotherm wrote:Must have been built for a Russian ............. ugly place

Well, it was built in the 16th Century for Ximenez de Aragona, a Spaniard and a descendant from the ROyal House of Aragon (The Aragon Family). Over one of the door lintels we can see Charles V motto "Non plus ultra". I guess that it was not as "colourful" originally as the place was totally remodelled during the 19th Century, at a time when the oriental and moorish style were becoming very popular, following the 1867 Universal Exhibition in Paris. In any case, I think that it was a good idea to rescue and restore it instead of allowing it to become a ruin. There are already too many of those and in a bad state of disrepair.

Bizarrely today in La SIcilia an article on local museums.  There is one near here which last year had a total of 8 visitors.  It has 14 staff.   The fault is who's?   I didnt even know it existed - and of course its in a part of town a tourist never goes to, and to be honest its got nothing in it worth seeing unless you're an academic.  The mentality here is 'shove it on a shelf and it'll sell itself'.    interactivity? computers? 'experience'  no thanks.  bits of old pot in a huge room is what'll bring in the foreigners....

Obviously, they have a communication problem... If you did not know it even existed, how are the tourists or even the rest of the locals will know where they are? Another question comes to my mind: do they have anything worth seeing?

Unfortunately in a fast moving world like this it is so easy to be left behind. Believe me I live online and have almost since the birth of the net. Italy is struggling to catch up and needs to take a leaf out of the emerging countries book. They have jumped technology by looking at what is there now, what you don't need (others mistakes) and getting a head start. Admin give a brilliant example of why things as they are here (and some would say should be kept), to not make a video in multiple languages...