When History Repeats: Heritage Regeneration and Emergent Authenticity in the Marche’s Peripheral Areas

Abstract

This article looks at the way in which historical re-enactments contribute both to the development of a peculiar tourism experience and to the regeneration of the historical and cultural heritage, adding up value and a certain “sense of place” to areas normally considered “marginal” from a variety of points of view. This will be achieved through the analysis of two events — the historical Palio “Giuoco dell’Oca” in Cagli and the Battle of the Nations in Sentinum (now Sassoferrato) — and specifically of the role that such “staged” events play in the regeneration of cultural heritage as well as of their role in creating collective identities. Moreover, it will be discussed whether such happenings can help develop a kind of cultural tourism based on the fruition of authentic experiences. The data were collected through ethnographic fieldwork conducted in 2016 in the scope of a wider research project on the “National Strategy for Inner Areas in Italy”, a development strategy launched in 2012 by the Italian Minister for Territorial Cohesion at the time, aimed at creating tools likely to foster a series of basic services access improvements in the Italian peripheral areas