Cammini e sentieri di Calabria. Verso un sistema a rete

Calabria Region (Italy) has a significant heritage of sites with cultural and landscape interest, a tourism potential still largely to be exploited. In this new century, new approaches to the tourist experience are emerging, in which the visit is not based on consumerism and running, but on the places enjoyment by taking the right time to gather a plurality of components of well-being. An interesting approach is represented by walking, in a group, on significant itineraries in the open air, in direct contact with the land and the sites crossed. Among the most famous and longest itineraries in Europe are the Camino de Santiago de Compostela and the Via Francigena. In Calabria for some years, different paths, ways and trails have been identified and enhanced, often animated by organized teams of volunteers, which could represent real opportunities for cultural tourism and for social and economic growth. In the paper a dozen have been identified, mapped and described, with specific thematic characterization. A regional network perspective design is proposed, through an overlapping reading of the different paths, highlighting some interest components (archaeological, monumental, religious, landscaped) in a global Transport- Land Use-Tourism approach. The representation of the network is based on the Transport Systems Theory and on cost functions useful for measuring the land accessibility. Finally, some guidelines are proposed to qualify the network of routes in terms of services offered to travellers, starting from basic elements. The multiple economic opportunities linked to the typical hospitality, refreshment and entertainment services, the supply of handicraft and gastronomy products, the guide activities with multilingual experts, but also moments of direct interaction with the people of Calabria are highlighted.