Winescapes and cultural identities: a glance on the island of Salina (Aeolian Islands)

The aim of this piece of research is to analyse how the island of Salina has exploited its natural and cultural landscape through the promotion of new tourist itineraries based on slowness. These will offer visitors new experiences going beyond sea-side tourism, which is what the islands are mostly known and appreciated for. The objective is to identify itineraries and trails allowing tourists to retrace the ancient roads on the island, joining together protection of the environment, observation of rural landscape and in-depth experience of the traditions linked to the production of Malvasia wine, product of excellence of this territory. The methodological approach adopted in this piece of research will consider natural resource-based view (NR-BV) (Hart, 1995), based on the creation of a competitive advantage represented by favourable climate conditions in any season of the year, by the presence of archaeological areas and historical elements of high cultural value, by the acknowledgement as UNESCO World Heritage site, by the authenticity of high quality typical products. Furthermore, the need to develop a sustainable and responsible tourism is underlined, to be set against the impact of over-tourism, which often worsens the fragility of this ecosystem in periods with high number of visitors. Wine tourism therefore seems one of the most significant answers to rediscover a territory with such a strong identity. It is able to draw considerable attention on cultural aspects and represents a valid option and an important strategic decision to promote new sustainable tourist flows in places of ancient cultural tradition, where the symbols of the past are still evident.