Tourism Breaking Barriers: Connections between Industrial Tourism and Waterfront Regeneration in Naples (Italy)

The process of deindustrialization and subsequent tertiarization of urban economies has resulted in significant changes to the urban landscape in recent years. These transformations have resulted in the creation of unused spaces and structures that separate urban and marine areas, thereby disrupting the mutual interdependencies between them. In coastal cities, the ports have historically played a pivotal role, serving as significant industrial hubs at the local and international levels. Despite the gradual loss of their centrality, these structures retain significant architectural vestiges that serve to attest to their past significance and contribute to the formation of urban collective memory.In several cities, these vestiges of the industrial past have undergone functional reconversions and rehabilitation into sites that are the subject of industrial tourism. This trend, which has involved several port cities in recent decades, is characterized by the valorization and rediscovery of disused industrial areas.

The principal aim of this study is to examine the phenomenon of industrial tourism in port areas in the context of Southern Europe, with a particular focus on the city of Naples (Italy). In addition to hosting numerous examples of disused industrial heritage, Naples is confronted with discontinuous processes of waterfront redevelopment that are often incongruous with the urban characteristics of its city. The case studies were analyzed through a literature review, while the case of Naples was examined in greater depth through an ethnographic research approach.Preliminary results indicate that while several southern European cities have embraced industrial tourism through brownfield redevelopment, Naples has notably lacked this engagement. The city's neglect of its port heritage has prevented the revitalization of its historical connection to the sea, leaving significant opportunities for cultural and economic enhancement untapped.