Alla ricerca di nuovi spazi e di nuovi ordini territoriali

Si tratta del saggio introduttivo al volume monografico della rivista Geotema dal titolo "Echi dai territori. Spazio liquido e coaguli sociali", frutto delle ricerche del Gruppo di lavoro A.Ge.I. sul riordino territoriale

Vino e vocazione

La conferència versa sobra el desenvolupament històric del conreu de la vinya i de les qualitats dels seus vins a Sicília. Tot i que la planta i el producte són emblemàtics del món mediterrani des de l'antiguitat grecollatina, el seu pes econòmic i territorial no va ser significatiu a l'illa fins a l'època moderna. Per tant, no serà fins el segle XVIII quan la viticultura siciliana mostra una forta embranzida gràcies a la revalorització que els anglesos van fer dels vins sicilians, especialment el Marsala. És el moment en què la superfície destinada a la viticultura experimenta un augment considerable en detriment del conreu blader. Al segle XIX s'evindencia un paral·lelisme entre l'evolució de la superfície viticultora siciliana i la d'altres contrades properes. En efecte, la crisi de la vinya francesa per culpa de la fil·loxera va fer que la superfície destinada a la vinya augmentés espectacularment. Així a finals de segle s'havien doblat les hectàrees respecte al nombre que hi havia a mitjan de segle. Tot i així Sicília també va ser atacada per la malura i van haver de replantar-se ceps de peu americà, amb tot l'expansió de la producció que havia creat un mercat consistent vers a Itàlia i a l'estranger va poder amortir el cop. Als anys setanta la viticultura siciliana va experimentar una forta renovació concretada en l'obtenció de vins de qualitat superior i en la disminució de la producció, per això, s'havien de fer canvis endegats per polítiques estatals i europees especifíques, que havien d'afectar a diversos àmbits: l'econòmic (inversions?), el territorial (regadius, canvis de conreus?) i el social (emigració, aculturació?). El resultat és que a començament del segle XXI s'havien reduït més de la meitat de les hectàries que hi havia a mitjan segle XX. La qualitat del vi ha variat notablement amb la introducció de ceps francesos. Del vi antic i aspre, n'ha sortit un de més suau destinat a un públic més ampli i divers. La gran difusió del vi sicilià pot ser que provoqui, doncs, una altra destrucció, és a dir, la de la Sicília cerealícola per antonomàsia.Se trata del desarrollo histórico del cultivo de la viña y de las cualidades de los vinos en Sicilia. A pesar de considerarse una planta y un producto emblemáticos del mundo mediterráneo desde la antigüedad grecolatina, su importancia económica y territorial no se manifiesta hasta la época moderna. Así pues, no será hasta finales del siglo XVIII cuando la viticultura siciliana muestra un fuerte despegue gracias a la revalorización que los ingleses hicieron de los vinos sicilianaos, especialmente el Marsala. Es el momento en que la superficie dedicada a la viticultura experimenta un aumento considerable en detrimento del cultivo del cereal. En el siglo XIX se evidencia un paralelismo entre la evolución de la superficie viticultora y la de las regiones cercanas. La crisis de la viña francesa a causa de la filoxera provocó un aumento considerable de la superficie destinada a la viña. Per lo tanto, a finales de siglo se habían doblado las hectáreas de viñedo respeto a las que había a mediados de siglo. Con todo, Sicilia también se vió afectada por la epidemia y hubo de plantarse cepas de pie americano. A pesar de ello, la expansión anterior a la peste, que había creado un mercado consistente hacia Italia y el extranjero, pudo amortiguar el golpe. En los años setenta la viticultura siciliana experimentó una fuerte renovación que se concretó en la obtención de vinos de cualidad superior y en la disminución de la producción. Para ello, se emprendieron cambios fomentados por políticas estatales y europeas específicas con los que se vieron afectados distintos ámbitos: el económico (inversiones...), el territorial (regadíos, cambios de cultivos?) y el social (emigración, aculturación?). El resultado es que a principios del siglo XXI se habían reducido más de la mitad de las hectáreas disponibles de medidados del siglo XX La cualidad del vino ha mejorado notablemente con la introducción de cepas francesas. El antiguo vino áspero se ha substituido por uno más suave destinado a un público más amplio y diverso. La gran difusión del vino siciliano puede que provoque, pues, otra destrucción, a saber, la de la Sicilia cerealística por antonomasia.The historical development of the agriculture of vine in Sicily and the qualities of its wines is the main topic of this paper. Despite considering vines an emblematic product of the Mediterranean world since the times of the Greeks and the Romans, its economic and territorial importance is not fully developed until modern times. In fact, Sicilian grapes experienced a rapid take off at the end of eighteenth century thanks to Englishmen appreciation for its wines, especially Marsalas. The land dedicated to vines experienced a considerable increase against the cereal fields. The crisis of the French vine because of the phylloxera caused a considerable increase of the surface destined in the vine. Therefore, by the end of century the number of hectares of vineyards doubled of that in the middle of the century. Yet, Sicily also was affected by the epidemic and was had to stand stocks of American plants. However, the expansion previous to the plague created a consistent market in Italy and overseas that could resist the crisis. In the 1970s, Sicilian grapes experienced a deep renovation by reducing to obtain wines of superior quality. Following national and European policies, the growers undertook changes that affected different aspects of production: economic (investments...), territorial (irrigation, different types of grows...) and the social one (emigration, acculturation...). As a result, at the beginning of the twenty-first century the area devoted to vines has been reduced to less than half of those of the mid twentieth century. The quality of the wine has improved remarkably with the introduction of French stocks. The old rough wine has been replaced by one smoother destined to a wider and more diverse public. The great diffusion of the Sicilian wine could produce yet another destruction, that is causes, then, another destruction, that is to say, the traditional Sicilian cereal producers

Cultural Creativity and Local Development: The Experience of the Socio-Cultural District of Selinunte

The pivotal idea of the Socio-Cultural District of Selinunte was inspired by a concept we found as a gift in that inexhaustible source of ideas that Borges’ texts (1995) still are. It might seem absurd to think of the biography of Michelangelo without any of his works… Yet, if we carefully think about it, we will realise that the endless series of acts composing the mosaic of a whole life is wide enough to allow us connecting a limited number of events among them. In addition, if we put those events in a diachronic sequence, they will take on the characteristics of a biography! That is Borges, up to here. If we select a different subject though, a territory for example, a consistent physiognomy could emerge in this case too, even if we leave aside the Temple ‘C’ of Selinunte or even the whole monument area of one of the largest and most complex archaeological parks in the Mediterranean area. We live in an era of cultures and territories, with emerging subjects who want to gain the place and role in history that have been long denied to them. This is also an era of decline of absolute values and grand theories. All that given, regaining (rebuilding or even making up) one’s identity is an inescapable strategic shift. Who will be in charge with the task of outlining the borders and contents of a community space? Who will be held responsible for drawing a face that is marked by the passing of time and made lively by our fresh contemporary energies? How can we avoid heritage becoming a burden rather than a challenge to think about the future

Le tourisme culturel

Le tourisme culturel est d’habitude perçu comme un phénomène socio-économique positif, en mesure de s’intégrer d’une façon équilibrée avec la nature des lieux, avec les économies locales et le tissu culturel des territoires. Puisque l’idée même de culture dérive de rapports, on suppose que les voyageurs se déplacent avec des buts culturels, une attitude d’ouverture envers ce qui est nouveau et de respect envers la réalité observée. Cette vision figée et romantique du voyage comme un Grand Tour moderne risque de nous faire perdre de vue le fait que le tourisme culturel, comme les autres formes de tourisme, pèse profondément sur l’organisation de l’espace. Les lieux du tourisme cinématographique et les parcs culturels représentent deux exemples, en quelque sorte opposés, de territoires créés par le tourisme culturel.La percezione diffusa del turismo culturale è quella di un fenomeno socioeconomico dai caratteri sostanzialmente positivi, in grado di integrarsi in modo equilibrato con la naturalità dei luoghi, le economie locali ed il tessuto culturale dei territori. Poiché il concetto stesso di cultura ha natura relazionale, si suppone che chi si sposta e viaggia con finalità culturali lo faccia con un atteggiamento aperto al nuovo e rispettoso della realtà osservata. Eppure questa visione stereotipica e romantica del viaggio come moderno Grand Tour rischia di farci perdere di vista il fatto che, come le altre forme della pratica turistica, anche il turismo culturale incide profondamente sull’organizzazione dello spazio. I luoghi del movie tourism ed i parchi culturali rappresentano due esempi, per certi versi contrapposti, di territori creati dal turismo culturale.The widespread perception of cultural tourism is a socioeconomical phenomenon whose characteristics are essentially positive, able to integrate and balance aspects of nature, local economy and the cultural tissue of territories. Since the concept of culture itself includes interpersonal relationships, one presumes that people who travel with cultural objectives in mind, do so with an openness to new experiences and a respect for the reality they observe. And yet, with this stereotypic, romantic vision of travel being like a modern Grand Tour, there is a risk to forget the fact that, as with other forms of tourism, cultural tourism deeply affects the organization of tourist space. The movie sites and cultural parks are two examples, in a certain way opposing, of territories created by cultural tourism

Alle radici del viaggio

Il presente contributo intende inserirsi nel dibattito epistemologico sulla funzione del viaggio inteso come azione complessa attraverso cui, ora si rinsaldano le relazioni fra uomo e spazio, ora si attivano processi cognitivi fondanti. In particolar modo si vuole avanzare una riflessione sulla scansione tripartita che ha nel viaggio l’esito terminale: la stasi, l’innesco, l’esperienza. Il contributo affonda le radici nei dibattiti, internazionali e nazionali, fondativi della New Cultural Geography, presupposto teorico imprescindibile per impostare un’indagine teoricamente e scientificamente fondata sul valore del soggetto nella prospettiva gnoseologica della geografia umana. Attraverso i riferimenti metodologici propri del discorso geografico che sceglie di incrociare, con intenzioni euristiche, la prospettiva letteraria, si è allora proposto un itinerario attraverso il mito, la parola sacra, la letteratura e l’esperienza al fine di rintracciare, evidenziare e annodare in seno ad un unico afflato cognitivo la tripartizione paradigmatica del viaggio, vero connettore geografico e significatore di relazioni essenziali

Retail in Sicily: an Overall View

In Sicily, the retail sector shows changes both from a structural point of view, with an increase in large-scale distribution at the expense of small businesses, and spatially, through the transfer of many commercial activities to the suburbs of cities or to extra-urban areas. This is a phenomenon that can also be observed in the rest of the country. The analysis of the most recent statistics in the sector, however, seems to highlight a significant flexibility of a part of the fabric of Sicilian commercial enterprises due to the widespread presence of small commercial businesses on the regional territory

Incidence trends of colorectal cancer in the early 2000s in Italy. Figures from the IMPATTO study on colorectal cancer screening

We utilised the IMPATTO study's archives to describe the 2000-2008 colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence rate trends in Italy, once screening programmes based on the faecal immunochemical test were implemented in different areas. Data on CRCs diagnosed in Italy from 2000 to 2008 in subjects aged 40-79 years were collected by 23 cancer registries. Incidence rate trends were evaluated as a whole and by macro-area (North-Centre and South-Islands), presence of a screening programme, sex, ten-year age class, anatomic site, stage at diagnosis, and pattern of diagnosis (screen-detected, non-screen-detected). The annual percent change (APC) of incidence rate trends, with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI), were computed. The study included 46,857 CRCs diagnosed in subjects aged 40-79 years, of which 2,806 were screendetected. The incidence rates in the North-Centre were higher than in the South and on the Islands. During the study period, screening programmes had been implemented only in the North-Centre and had a significant effect on incidence rates, with an initial sharp increase in incidence, followed by a decrease that started in the 3rd-4th years of screening. These incidence rate trends were exclusively due to modifications in the rates of stage I cases. After screening programmes started, incidence increased in all anatomic sites, particularly in the distal colon. The differential figures introduced by the implementation of screening programmes warrant a continuous surveillance of CRC incidence and mortality trends to monitor the impact of screening at a national level