Educational thematic mapping of cultural & natural heritage in southern Italy during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

<abstract> <p>This paper will describe the creation of an interactive and flexible map through which news and information relating to the tangible and intangible cultural and natural heritage of the Sila National Park area (Calabria, southern Italy, related to the Italian Risorgimento period) were collected. The map, which can be updated daily, can be accessed by clicking on a location's reference. The pop-up window contains information for each character, monument, commemorative plaque and palace linked to the history of the Risorgimento. Anthropological and oral traditions linked to the affected area are also listed. The map is enriched by a focus on significant archaeological presences, characters and productive activities linked to the Risorgimento or our present time. Each pop-up is also characterized by the possibility of viewing any photographs and historical documentation, as well as research videos and educational and informative material. This paper's research questions concern 1) how the thematic map on Google Maps can be useful for educational purposes and 2) how the map was used to enhance the cultural and natural heritage of the Sila National Park and to promote an ethics-based tourism during and after the pandemic. The historical-geographical itinerary of the map, therefore, offers hints and suggestions for sustainable cultural tourism initiatives open to international context and proximity. Neogeographic technologies such as Google Maps have been used because they facilitate and stimulate the sharing and production of geographic information. In the case of this map, it was created from a bottom-up approach that involved local stakeholders and scholars.</p> </abstract>