The ACEEPT Project Week 2022 will be the first edition of this yearly event hosted by Italy,

and precisely by the University of Bologna at the Rimini Campus.

The theme of this year's edition will be “Cultural heritage and tourism off-the-beaten track”.

The choice of this topic takes on a special meaning if one considers that Rimini is a renowned

location along the Adriatic Sea cost, which is a popular destination for seaside mass-tourism.

Over the recent years, both local administrators and professionals from the local tourism industry

have made lots of efforts to deseasonalize the tourist offer in this territory, promoting a new image

of the city and its landscapes. Building on the vast accommodation capacity of the city (more than

1000 hotels, in addition to many hotel apartments, bed&breakfast, hotels, camping…), Rimini has started being promoted as a city open to tourists 12 months per year, an ideal venue for large conference eventsand trade fairs, as well as a tourist destination able to combine entertainment

with history, culture and nature. Many initiatives related to music, food&wine, art, sport and wellness have been undertaken, along with considerable private and public investments in urban regeneration and requalification. However, much remains to be done, in particular related to the inland, i.e., the

inner territories of the Province of Rimini, where you may find several small historical villages, with

their remains and fortresses, that are no way inferior to other more renown towns in other regions

of Italy. Getting there, one may experience an authentic journey through nature and history, with so many attractions in terms of food, culture, lore, architecture, biodiversity, typical artisanal products

and tacit knowledge. Nonetheless, the territory of the Provence of Rimini is still largely unexplored

and relatively unknown even by a large part of the Italian population.

Our challenge is to take advantage of the ACEEPT Project Week 2022 to explore together this

part of the historical region called Romagna, and give visibility to at least some of these locations/attractions, which are definitely worth being visited, known, and appreciated for their

intrinsic value. In so doing, we will have the opportunity to study how these destinations, places

and attractions can be preserved, valued, and promoted as spots of great interest for both national

and international tourists, also through the direct involvement of the local community and public stakeholders.

Our exploration will also prompt us to deal with the relevant issue of “cultural heritage”. According

to the definition provided by the UNESCO, cultural heritage is “the cultural legacy which we receive from the past, which we live in the present and which we will pass on to future generations. […]

Cultural heritage is not limited to monuments and collections of objects. It is also comprised of living expressions inherited from our ancestors, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social manners, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices related to nature and the universe, and knowledge

and techniques linked to traditional crafts. Despite its fragility, intangible cultural heritage or living heritage is an important factor in maintaining cultural diversity.”