Interventions

Culture is an essential element of European cooperation to revive the touristic and economic development of the thermal towns of the EHTTA network, united by the homogeneity and the richness of their cultural heritage which made them famous throughout history. The city of Fiuggi has joined the European network of the historic thermal towns with the conviction that the United Europe is the key to best replica watches development and future strategies for the revival of cities thanks to culture. Fiuggi has chosen the themes of cinema and thermalism, because of the cinematographic heritage of many European thermal towns. The Italian cinema is part of the cultural heritage and the European identity.

The EHTTA association and the European Route of Historical Thermal Towns represent one of the 26 itineraries recognized by the Council of Europe, it was born because of the will to create a network of historic towns in which the binomial health/tourism is the common denominator. Modern tourism was born in the thermal cities and the development of these ones needs to begin from their history and their cultural heritage. The thermal towns of the network are present in 11 European countries; they are cities of physical and mental wellness, sources of water but also of culture. Within the SOURCE project each city has linked wellness to a cultural theme: from travel literature to music, from history to cinema.

The film commissions are agencies which help the cinematographic productions and the territories which host them with technical tools. The Lazio Film&Commission is a regional agency born with the aim to promote the audiovisual sector and the resources of a territory, through a constant cartography and the networking of useful informations to offer services to cinematographic productions. When you develop a territory which is obviously perfect for cinematographic productions – a territory like Fiuggi for example, which has many touristic services, a thermal cultural and natural heritage – it is necessary first of all to list all the existing structures with a film commission. The insertion of these informations about potential places, consulted by a location manager, is the first step. The cinematographic productions need important services, but to improve the visibility of a territory through the “cinetourism” represents an investment in promotion and publicity. The welcoming capacity of territories is essential to cinematographic productions, the territories receive also specific strategies of welcoming for scenographies and courses of formation, which incite autopromotion from the cities. The promotion of a territory linked to the filming must last long, for the whole life of the film, from the shooting to the screening, and maybe also because the territory will receive benefits from the success of the film. There are no priority elements in the choosing of a place, because cinema narrates everything – from art to history, from beauty to tragedy – but the first step of each territory is to know how to describe and to communicate its own resources.

The economic development of a territory has always been found in the exploitation of its natural resources and cultural and immaterial heritage, it is one of the most effective tool,  so that when this potential remains untapped, when the heritage do not exercise a central role in territorial development strategies, the touristic attractiveness plunges. An emblematic example is our province, around which, except for rare exceptions, no real touristic product was established and the result is ineffective despite significant touristic attractions. Our rich history of famous people who were born here (for example Saint Thomas Aquinas and Cicero, authentic pillars of Western culture), a heritage that bears witness, in every age, of the presence of extraordinary artists, this can be a basis for the relaunch of the territory. With the irreversible crisis experienced by our numerous industrial sites, it becomes more urgent than ever to give priority to development programs focused on cultural heritage. The European cultural multidisciplinary project “Sources of Culture: The Cafés of Europe”, coordinated by the Route of Spa Towns of the Massif Central, in partnership with the European Historic Thermal Towns Association (EHTTA), of which the city of Fiuggi is an active member since 2011, is particularly significant. This project stimulated the consolidation of a new sense for the territory in revisiting the link between culture and thermalism, between identity and tradition, where the reference to the reputation of famous characters of the world of cinema, claimed by our province, may constitute a valid form of economic and social recovery. In the name of Marcello Mastroianni, Vittorio De Sica, Nino Manfredi, authentic interpreters of the best Italian film tradition, but also of no less important artists such as Arturo, Carlo Ludovico and Anton Giulio Bragaglia, I believe we must adopt strategies with public institutions, starting from the thermal link between welfare and cultural vocation, and finally render justice to the age-old traditions of our country and recognize their leading role in the economic field so far underestimated.

The location placement, intended as a presentation of tourist attractions through the creation of narrative devices within a cinematographic work, is proving to be a technique of great interest for the tourist development of the territories. This expedient, however, can be extended to all forms of art and, in the first place, literature (from which, however, are drawn many movies!). This is the key which also raises the Festival of Travel Litterature which, since 2008, is held in Rome in the splendid setting of Villa Celimontana. It is a sophisticated strategy for local marketing, to bear fruit, it must be inserted into a conscious vision of territorial development based on culture and in a path of valorization integrated in a position to seize the opportunities of the assets of the entire territory. The city of Fiuggi can count on a budget of excellence linked in the first place, to the thermal resource, which lends itself to multiple narrative traces that can be connected to the tourist experience. The great potential of Fiuggi accomodation also constitutes a competitive tool of great interest if properly connected to investments in the tourist-cultural themes of the territorial area in which are inserted the city and tourist flows of the axis Rome/Caserta/Naples.

In his evocative title “Bread, Cinema & Fantasy” which paraphrases the famour De Sica’s film, Massimo Cardillo starts from the undeniable importance that every spa town can have in various projects related to cinema in its relation to the spirit, history and culture that has always animated it. Cinema becomes a driving force for tourism when you create interest and knowledge in the same area. Cinema is a visual symbol of places, ways of being and other cultures. The screen changes the perception of people and history. The cinema is a collective imagination that creates paradigms and symbolism. The history of cinema is a form of cultural symbol useful to form the new European citizen. A short but rich overview of the work of De Sica who has always seen the close links between Ciociaria and cinema. Fiuggi, therefore, is a focal point for future strategies in the culture, tourism and cinematographic production that cannot but be saved by the memory of Vittorio De Sica, Marcello Mastroianni, Nino Manfredi, the Bragaglia brothers (Anton Giulio, Carlo Ludovico, Arturo), Tina Lattanzi, Daniele Paris, Antonio Valente and Eduardo Paolozzi. Cinema shout be studied, discovered and investigated.

The EHTTA (European Historic Thermal Towns Association) is composed of 11 European countries and 30 cities soon. It is a network of cities which tell their histories, each town has its own history but they have nevertheless many things in common (famous visitors, activities, a cultural life,…). The common history of these cities is told to a large public thanks to themes like cinema, theatre, music or the interactive novel. The biggest challenge is to reach different types of public and to show them that the culture of thermal towns is innovative; it is founded on the past but reinvents a new thermal culture at the same time. This innovation happens thanks to the management of territories at the European scale. The link with the public is created thanks to guided tours, different activities but also thanks to the social medias. Sharing a multicultural life is part of the SOURCE project because the network is a huge European melting pot. The cities of Fiuggi and La Bourboule decided to include culture in their politics, they are going to talk about it more precisely.

The aim of the Plein la Bobine festival and of the association is to educate children to images because it is not always taught at school. These initiatives are supported by French institutions as well as European ones. Children must have the tools to analyze a movie, to learn to step back regarding films. Throughout the year, the Film Festival for Children Association (AFFE) works with three employees, there are screenings in various places (recently there was one at the top of the Puy de Dôme). The association proposes movies not only for children because it has to consider that there are accompanists and an older public. It proposes good films which youth can understand but which can please also adults. The main difficulty is to know which movie to show to different generations who have not the same cultural references. After the screening there are debates, this way the cinematographic tool creates a social link between the generations. More than 30 countries were represented this year during the festival, so there is really an international dimension. The festival wants to let the public discover one new European country thanks to the carte blanche program. This year the Fiuggi Family Festival participated to this program. The idea is to understand how cinema is seen in another country. The festival let people discover things they are not used to see in cinema, heritage movies, avant-première films, there is a real cultural opening.

Recently re-elected mayor, he is going to develop on the territorial development and the city of La Bourboule. This is a small city of 2000 inhabitant in the heart of the Massif of Sancy in Auvergne, it is a recent city because it was created in 1875. There are 10 000 touristic beds so in the summer the population is multiplied by five. However, there is a touristic activity during the whole year because there is the thermal activity but also the winter sports (the city is 850 meters high). La Bourboule was created for thermalism, 85% of jobs of the city are dedicated to the welcoming of visitors. Before the 2nd World War, politicians, famous characters, went there to have fun and cure themselves, they stayed in palaces. After 1947, the public was more diversified because of the creation of the “Sécurité Sociale” which reimbursed 65% of thermal treatments; palaces were transformed in hotels, the economy declined. Since 1990, there is a phenomenon of economic diversification: wellness, appreciation of historic heritage and immaterial heritage. Today, people realize the importance of thermal heritage, indeed it gives sense to the tourists’ stay. La Bourboule is from the origin a member of EHTTA because it affirms its interest for partnerships at a European scale. La Bourboule is also a member of the Route des Villes d’Eaux du Massif Central (Massif Central Route of Thermal Cities). There is a collaborative work since approximately 30 years because some regional politicians chose to create the Thermal Auvergne which set up collective action plans and marketing to promote Auvergne as a thermal destination. There are today two issues: taking in consideration the desires of inhabitants and improving the attractiveness of the territory. The culture is the solution to these two issues because after the employment and the sanitary offer, culture is the third motivation for people who want to settle somewhere. The city is equipped for events: theatre, congress center, puppets theatre. La Bourboule is dedicated to respiratory treatments and allergies treatments, especially in dermatology so the city has always welcomed children and teenagers. Before, it was the first pediatric thermal city of Europe concerning the frequentation (about forty lodgings were dedicated to the welcoming of groups of sick children). The city is still in the theme of childhood today with the Plein la Bobine festival which is totally anchored in the cultural politics, there is also the Street Arts festival, and constant exchanges with Russian, Spanish or artists of other nationalities (they come to show their works: sculptures, paintings,…) there is always an international dimension.

The Fiuggi Family Festival is a film festival for families. It has a target similar to the one of Plein la Bobine and the same mission: to communicate through images. The festival aims to bring the images to a correct communication, encouraging the production and screening of new films. The festival promotes all that’s entertainment through audio-visual communication (screenings, musical, music and live performance), addressing mainly young people and families. The festival was born in Fiuggi, because it was strongly backed by the one who created it. He chose Fiuggi for its proximity to Rome, for its large accommodation capacity and its culture of wellness.  The cooperation between the two festivals can take place on two lines of development: the exchange of material produced, allowing the films chosen by the juries of each festival to be screened in other festivals, and the collaboration at the level of cinematographic production. To develop the territories as locations for cinematographic productions or as cultural centers of learning and understanding the language of cinema – which changes fast – and the training of young people in the cinematographic industry. Within the SOURCE project, the artistic direction of the Fiuggi Family Festival has produced a short video with images of the most famous films set in spa towns in Europe.

The cultural policy of the city of Fiuggi has always aimed to create the conditions for a strong participation of young people in the field of culture, encouraging creativity and talent. In addition to the Fiuggi Family Festival, flagship event of the season organized and supported by a very young staff, Fiuggi supports a number of activities for the younger generations: from the laboratory of music to the theatre workshops, which are permanent and create major theatrical events greatly appreciated by local public and foreigners, from musical performances to the film club with the involvement of schools.hublot replica watches At the basis of this experience is the idea that the focal promotion of cultural activity in its various forms stimulates the growth and aggregation among young people. The Youth Council, an elected body of the city of Fiuggi, works in this direction by promoting a number of activities to encourage youth participation in civic life. The city has many facilities to organize cultural activities: theatre, exhibition hall and acting hall, music rehearsal room and recording room, small exhibitions hall in most areas of the city. The entertainment of the public through every form of art and culture is an essential basis of the tourism product of an area, especially a spa in which the concept of well-being offered to the tourists took a broader sens that includes, moreover, culture, nature and heritage.