From Heritage to Societal Impact: Storytelling and Digital Innovation for Sustainable Development in Sicily’s Late Baroque Towns (Italy)

As one of the top-ranking countries for UNESCO World Heritage sites, Italy occupies a prominent position in the field of cultural heritage. Sicily’s Val di Noto stands out as a distinctive example of a Late Baroque urban landscape. However, the eight towns that comprise this UNESCO site may lack a cohesive tourism narrative, limiting their potential for culture-driven economic development. The present exploratory study investigated how a unified storytelling approach (integrating digital communication, mobility, and local entrepreneurship) could enhance the region’s visibility and appeal. Drawing on the strategic role of maptelling (i.e., an embodied cognition approach that combines storytelling with the development of itineraries and cartographic representation) in tourism communication, the study evaluated the potential to develop a coherent, heritage-based tourism strategy. The findings suggested the need for further collaboration to strengthen storytelling efforts and establish a distinctive and competitive destination. A coordinated tourism network (supported by improved mobility services and thematic visitor experiences) could help address current fragmentation and reinforce the cultural value of Val di Noto’s Baroque heritage. Future research should involve direct engagement with tourists and explore the role of narrative and mapping communication.