Green Infrastructure and Slow Tourism: A Methodological Approach for Mining Heritage Accessibility in the Sulcis-Iglesiente Bioregion (Sardinia, Italy)

Abstract

In European countries many measures are carried out to improve the disadvantaged conditions and socio-economic marginality of rural areas in comparison with central places. These conditions also affect the quality of travel for visitors and tourists. Therefore, in response to a ‘new’ tourist demand, motivated also by the restrictions following the spread of the COVID-19 virus in recent years, the institutions and the different local actors are working more incisively to improve rural areas. The rural tourism services offer, combined with the Green Infrastructure (GI) project, at different scales—from local to regional—interesting territorial development strategies to achieve the Agenda 2030 objectives. This contribution considers the Sulcis-Iglesiente-Guspinese area, in the Sardinia Region (IT), as a case study. In this area, the landscape context is marked by past mining activity, and the project of a path of historical, cultural, and religious values has proven to be an activator of regenerative processes, in environmental, social, and economic terms. The present study proposes a methodological approach to develop an index (FI—feasibility index) to assess the feasibility of the Stop Places (SPs) project along a horse trail to integrate the current slow mobility of bicycles and pedestrians in the bioregion.

The Importance of Landscape during Long-Distance Running Activity

“…Striving for regionally balanced countries' economies is consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals as is promoting sustainable and responsible tourism [64,71]. Such activities are also in line with the assumptions of green infrastructure (connecting urban, suburban and rural green spaces into one, extensive network), allowing the combination of various forms of slow mobility, among which running plays an important role [25]. An interesting result of our research was the observation that runners do not associate the city with the word "landscape".…”

“…The universality and accessibility of running activities make them one of the key forms of physical activation. In the reality of the pandemic threat or the war, running is becoming a form of activity desired by more and more people [25]. This demand should be capitalised on, especially in rural areas with high natural landscapes and cultural values but often with less development.…”

“…Therefore, it matters where (e.g., in what geographic location, indoors or outdoors) a person runs [22,23]. Therefore, running routes should run through high-quality green areas related to the idea of green infrastructure [24], which is an important element connecting various forms of slow mobility in natural environments [25]. Green infrastructure promotes the development of a sustainable environment, ensuring a higher quality of life [26].…”

“…Green infrastructure promotes the development of a sustainable environment, ensuring a higher quality of life [26]. The integration of pedestrian (including running), cycling and horse trails with the concept of green infrastructure allows for the utilisation of ecosystem services within the context of a connected bioregion [25].…”

Geoheritage and Geoconservation, from Theory to Practice: The Ghost Town of Craco (Matera District, Basilicata Region, Southern Italy)

“…And this represents a further possibility for scientific research, also, in this macro-area. In Italy, several examples of geotouristic itineraries (e.g., [99][100][101][102][103][104]), with particular attention to geopark realities (e.g., [105][106][107][108][109][110][111]) are presented with papers highlighting the high potential of sites of geological interest. Also in this context, geo aspects (primarily represented by particular scenarios and forms) represent an attraction and component of several kinds of tourism (Cultural, Educational, Bio-and Geo-Tourism).…”