CHAPTER 18: THE DYNAMICS OF REGIONS (3) – A EUROPEAN PERIPHERAL REGION
2. The variety of unspoilt, natural and beautiful landscapes – such as the Bay of Naples, theAmalfi coast, sandy beaches and snow-peakedmountains, volcanoes such as Vesuvius and Stromboli – attract tourists throughout the year.
3. Tourists who like to visit ancient ruins can visit the historical cities of Pompeii and Naples. The art and architecture found in cities throughout the region is of great interest to tourists who enjoy visiting places of historical value.
4. The relaxed and family-oriented culture of Italians offers a child-friendly and stress-free holiday to tourists. Restaurants welcome children at all times.
5. The Adriatic coast of the Puglia region has a strong Greek and Roman influence, fine beaches and interesting historical sites.
6. Sicily is becoming increasingly popular as a tourist destination. It has been quite successful at promoting its history, beaches and festivals.
The Cassa scheme and tourism
The Cassa scheme recognised the many attractions of this invisible export. The Mezzogiorno has great potential as a tourist destination. Therefore, 15% of the Cassa’s funding was for tourism development. The Cassa scheme developedmore than 25 regions for tourismby providing grants
to upgrade and build accommodation and provide facilities. It improved accessibility by building a motorway and an airport at Calabria. It also improved ferry connections to Sicily and Sardinia. Along with EU Structural funding these measures all helped to reduce the region’s isolation.
Fig. 21 Ancient ruins in Pompeii, an important tourist attraction 375