Ecomuseums (on Clean Energy), Cycle Tourism and Civic Crowdfunding: A New Match for Sustainability?

An ecomuseum is an \u2018instrument\u2019 to share the interests of a region and protect its cultural, historical and natural heritage. Cycle tourism is a sustainable type of tourism. Civic crowdfunding is a method of raising funds from a community for the fulfilment of civic initiatives. Starting from the literature on the link between cycle tourism and sustainability, the interaction between renewable energy resources and tourism, and finally the place-based dimension of a civic crowdfunding campaign, the purpose of this study is to show that an ecomuseum focused on clean energy has the potential to attract cycle tourists, increase the numbers of funders, as well as attract the interest of the municipality, not-for-profit associations and energy and tourism firms, and thus significantly enhance its beneficial effects on sustainability from economic, social and environmental points of view. This study employed an action research method to gain in-depth knowledge of this issue, as well as a qualitative case study approach to present and discuss the results. The principal result of this study is the identification of a potential way to create sustainability, via the match between an ecomuseum devoted to clean energy, cycle tourism and civic crowdfunding

Trascendenza e cambiamento in Filone di Alessandria. La chiave del paradosso

The thesis explores the connection between immutability and change as a key to the relationship between man and God within the thought of Philo of Alexandria. Considering the divine name expressed in Ex. 3,14, where God presents himself as Being, divine identity is conceived by Philo as essentially exempt from beginning and mutation. On the other hand, man and cosmos are marked by a state of change and their becoming is characterized by fatigue, effort and instability. Starting from this preliminary analysis, the thesis develops the issue of ethical and cognitive human progress toward the transcendent God. Knowledge has the task of reaching the unknowable Being and virtue coincides with platonic assimilation to a God which is however radically dissimilar to man. The relationship between man and God is therefore enlightened by the role of paradox. Paradox was a logic and ethical tool connected to the rational power of the stoic sage. It is converted by Philo toward the act of abdication of the virtuous man who recognizes the radical otherness of God

The perceived image of en plein air tourism: Evidence from Italy

Tourists have been classified in the literature over the years in many different ways, with different methods of analysis and objectives. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the self-perception of en plein air tourists, in particular the caravanning tourists. Caravanning is a subset of drive tourism where the vehicle provides both transport and accommodation and is a growing although under-researched phenomenon. To reach our goal we will analyze the results of a recent survey, whose primary purpose was to find a name for the most important Club of en plein air tourists in Italy. More specifically, by analyzing in a semantic perspective the names proposed by the tourists themselves, we will outline the main types of mental associations related to en plein air tourism image. Some researchers have shown that all operators in the touristic sector benefit from a deeper understanding of the \u2018meaning\u2019 that each tourist gives to the tourism that he/she practices. We therefore believe that the results of this research can provide, from an academic point of view, a deeper awareness of a subject which is still understudied and, from a management point of view, better explain the \u2018values\u2019 and consequently the connected expectations of en plein air tourists. This seems an essential step in order to facilitate and make more effective business decisions. So far, linguistic analyses on brand-names, even within the specific domain of tourism have generally adopted a sort of \u2018top-down\u2019 approach, i.e. considered brand-names chosen by professionals and brand-naming has been seen as a management strategy. On the contrary, for this study we chose the opposite perspective, which can be defined as a \u2018bottom-up\u2019 approach, as we focused on brand-names suggested directly by tourists. In our view, this perspective is better suited to grasp the self-perception of en plein air tourists and is more informative on tourists\u2019 values, attitudes and behaviors. The image which emerges through this kind of analyses can be in line with the profile of the en plein air tourists outlined by the specialists or, on the contrary, contradict it and eventually challenge it. We claim therefore that our approach can lead to a reflection on the relationship between the perception of tourists and more generally of consumers on one side and the perception of the marketing professionals and touristic service providers on the other

Festival Tocat\uec: una buona pratica nella tutela e valorizzazione dei beni culturali immateriali

Obiettivi. Il lavoro mira a comprendere in che termini il Tocat\uec, Festival Internazionale dei Giochi in Strada, promosso nel 2003 dall\u2019Associazione Giochi Antichi e considerato un evento di successo unico in Italia, possa rappresentare una buona pratica nella tutela e valorizzazione dei beni culturali immateriali e su quali determinanti poggia il suo successo. Metodologia. Il paper intende proporsi come un Case study. Dopo un inquadramento teorico sul tema oggetto di studio, si \ue8 provveduto alla raccolta di dati e informazioni di tipo qualitativo e quantitativo mediante la consultazione di fonti secondarie e lo svolgimento di interviste in profondit\ue0 con i responsabili del Tocat\uec. Risultati. L\u2019analisi svolta consente di evidenziare che il Festival pu\uf2 essere considerato una buona pratica per la salvaguardia del gioco tradizionale come patrimonio culturale immateriale. Lo studio ne traccia i lineamenti e pone in luce le determinanti alle quali pu\uf2 ricondursi il successo della manifestazione. Limiti della ricerca. Il caso \ue8 stato analizzato considerando solo la prospettiva del promotore dell\u2019evento. Per un approfondimento della ricerca si dovrebbe estendere l\u2019analisi considerando la prospettiva di un pi\uf9 ampio gruppo di stakeholder. Implicazioni pratiche. Pur presentando caratteri di non standardizzabilit\ue0 e di non facile riproducibilit\ue0, l\u2019evento analizzato come buona pratica offre l\u2019opportunit\ue0 di riflettere sugli elementi che possono favorire il successo di un festival culturale. Originalit\ue0 del lavoro. Non si rilevano in letteratura modelli per la valutazione degli eventi culturali come buona pratica. Si ritiene pertanto che questo lavoro offra un contributo al dibattito tuttora aperto sul tema a livello nazionale e internazionale

Features of good practice for safeguarding and valorising intangible cultural heritage: the Tocat\uec International Festival of Street Games

Purpose of the paper: The aim of this paper is to analyse the extent to which the uniquely successful Tocat\uec International Festival of Street Games, which has been promoted by the Associazione Giochi Antichi (Traditional Games Association) since 2003, can be considered an example of good practice for safeguarding an intangible cultural heritage, and the factors underlying its success. Methodology: The qualitative approach of this paper is based on a case study. The data were collected by conducting in-depth interviews of the organizers of the Tocati International Festival. Results: The results confirmed the working hypothesis and highlighted the determinants of the success of the Festival in safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of traditional games. Limitations: The case analysis only considers the perspective of the promoter of the event. Future research should be extended it to include the perspectives of other stakeholders. Practical implications: Although the findings indicate that the event cannot be standardised or easily reproduced, they do identify a number of factors that can favour the success of a cultural festival. Originality of the paper: As there are no published models for evaluating cultural events as good practices, the findings of this study can contribute to the open debate on this topic

Floating rafts as breeding habitats for the Common tern, Sterna hirundo. Colonization patterns, abundance and reproductive success in Venice Lagoon

The Venice lagoon hosts the 15% of the entire Italian breeding population of Common terns, Sterna hirundo, highlighting the great value of the area for this species. However, in the last 25 years, a substantial decline of Common terns has been detected in the Lagoon, which culminated in 2008. The main causes of this negative trend were the loss of salt marsh habitats, where terns typically breed in the Venice lagoon. This was due to the increase in the mean sea level and the greater frequency of high tides during the reproductive period with consequent flooding of their breeding sites; competition with yellowlegged gulls (Larus michahellis), predation and human disturbance. As a preliminary experimental approach to counter the depletion of the species and favour its recovery, we performed a habitat loss compensation project by setting up four floating rafts (3x2m), covered by two different types of substrate (sandy and vegetal substrate). This was to function as an artificial nesting site safe from flooding, positioned in a protected internal wetland area of the Venice lagoon, Valle Averto (Sourthern Lagoon). We studied the colonization patterns of the rafts and the reproductive success of Common tern breeding pairs during the 2014 and 2015 breeding seasons. We also investigated those environmental and structural variables that could favour the use of the rafts and the nesting success of the species. In both years, the rafts were successfully colonized and used by terns for nesting. Our results also indicated higher temperature, lower rainfall and greater distance from the shore as the main habitat factors favouring the occurrence and the reproductive success of the breeding pairs, while a windrow of dead plants was indicated as the preferred substrate for covering rafts in order to make them more attractive. The results provided some suggestions for successful restoration plans to be developed in similar lagoon areas

Older tourists' travel motivations and overall satisfaction at the destination: The case of Sirmione

Purpose: As the number of older tourists is progressively growing due to population ageing, tourism destinations are increasingly striving to attract them. For this purpose, destination marketers need to gain deep knowledge about the relationships between older tourists\u2019 travel motivations and satisfaction at the destination. This paper aims to provide an in-depth examination of such relationships in a specific destination, highlighting the effects of four travel motivations (culture; pleasure-seeking; relaxation; physical). Methodology: A cross-section design was adopted based on a survey among a sample of older tourists visiting Sirmione, a mature destination located on Lake Garda, Italy. Data were analyzed through multiple techniques, including analyses of variance and linear regression. Findings: The results reveal that relaxation was the most important motivation making older tourists decide to visit Sirmione. Moreover, relaxation was the only motivation showing a statistically significant relationship with satisfaction at the destination. Practical implications: The results of this study provide destination managers with valuable inputs to reposition their destination to effectively attract older tourists. Originality/value: This paper contributes to enhance available knowledge \u2013 which is quite scarce \u2013 about the effects of travel motivations on satisfaction at the destination among older tourists

pericardial patch as a palliative treatment in three dogs affected by unresectable cardiac tumor

Abstract This report is aimed at describing a pericardial patch for unresectable cardiac tumors as a palliative technique to prevent pleural effusion. Each dog underwent the same diagnostic protocol including a cardiological assessment, hematology and biochemistry profile, urinary test, abdominal and heart ultrasonography and chest radiographs. Computed tomography was always performed in order to exclude any potential metastatic lesions. All dogs underwent open pericardiectomy: the pericardium was opened and transposed on the mass according to its shape. Biopsy of the mass was always performed. Histopathological evaluation of the masses described two HAS and one chemodectoma. Chemotherapy protocol includes doxorubicin that was weekly administered. Dogs with HSA survived 65 and 85 days respectively without pleural effusion, while the dog with chemodectoma died after six months for reasons unrelated to the tumor. No evidence of pleural effusion was observed during the heart recheck, monthly performed. Pericardial patch is a potential choice as a palliative treatment for unresectable cardiac tumors. No pleural effusion was seen in three dogs affected by unresectable cardiac tumors