Resumen:
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The Italian site of Siracusa and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica was added to the UNESCO WHL in 2005, because it offers a unique testimony to the development of Mediterranean civilization over three millennia. Through the implementation of specific planning instruments, such as the Piano Particolareggiato di Ortigia (PPO), and projects for economic and social action, the local government has been working for years on the restoration and enhancement of the remarkable cultural heritage of Ortigia, the island at the heart of Siracusa. The PPO has addressed the choices for transformation of the historic city from a perspective of conservation and philological recovery; furthermore, thanks to European, National and Regional funding programs, a wide-ranging process of recovery has been launched on public and private building. Many open spaces have been refurbished, numerous areas have been pedestrianized and many public services have been initiated for residents. In this way, quality of life on the site has improved, whilst, at the same time, creating a favourable and attractive context for investors; not only are there huge, luxurious hotels, but also bed and breakfasts, small craft and commercial enterprises, thus encouraging many young people from Siracusa to invest in their own region. The key idea of the recovery plan is to maintain the balanced level of mixité that has always characterised the historical city, and then to revitalise and reinforce the activities and functions that are already present in Ortigia (administrative, residential, commercial, tourist) and to introduce new ones (services, higher education), to prevent the island from becoming merely a tourist attraction, a lifeless outdoor museum. In order to do this, the local government has identified several strategies based on the criteria of sustainability, consultation, participation, local economic development and promotion of tourism. The progressive enhancement of the historic centre, the services and the more humane dimension have shown the inhabitants of Siracusa an alternative way of life and a superior quality, sparking off a return and re-appropriation of the historic city; and in this sense, we might talk about a widespread increase in wealth. The island has now become a laboratory for experimentation, which is then reproduced in the modern town. This paper aims to describe the strategies of conservation, regeneration and enhancement adopted in Ortigia, making it a positive example in the World Heritage scenario through its balance of identity and development, and the positive impact on the local community.
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