Città mediterranee ed effetti controversi del turismo. Il caso di Roma

Tourism is a complicated and articulated consumption machine in itself, but the bond between tourism and consumption has been reinforced and extended to all the (urban and extra-urban) territories, including the ones which hadn’t a recognised tourist vocation. Obviously, there are differentiated levels of success (consumption is one of the most important indicators to measure them); these levels vary according to the quality of place, the quantity of investments and the professional skills that are involved. Attraction strategies have been similar, not only in the tools but also in the substance, because consumption and entertainment have been adopted as primary functions while the other ones have been marginalised as of niche value; this is particularly true for productive functions (starting from the primary ones) and housing functions (of the so-called principal residence). As the partnership between tourism and consumption surged in the main tourist locations, most of which are situated on the coast or in the art cities, it extended to social practices which are formed in places that aren’t so mono-specialist as the tourist ones. I focus on the effects of urban policies over the last decades; such policies have been prevalently devoted to attract any kind of consumers, including tourism. I will also focus on Mediterranean cities whose activities, use destinations of buildings and populations are more and more provisional and unstable. I conclude with the case of Rome – the mythical Eternal City – as a model of the provisional in Italian urban experience.