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Since its establishment, safeguarding and enhancing the landscape and the environmental heritage represent two key-elements in Abruzzo's regional planning. Several implemented plans, regulations and official documents over the years have been underlying the creation of an integrated regional development programme, increasing the image of Abruzzo as a “Green Region of Europe" (one-third of the protected surface so as to have three National Parks and a Regional Park). By contrast, recent national and regional reports show that Abruzzo-in all its four provinces-ranks among top positions in Italy as regards vulnerability risk in terms of surface, population, enterprises and cultural heritage, with percentages well above the national average in each category. These data present a jarring framework compared to the initially envisaged image of regional environmental rebalancing. The recentmost natural catastrophic events (abundant snowfalls within in a few days and continuous earthquakes) suggest the need for studying the actual resilience of the region. In view of it, it is important to assess the real control of the territory, the spending capacity of the local authorities and the broader coordination of the involved institutional actors, in order to avoid-or at least to restrict-situations that have been recognized to severely damage real estate assets, and incur especially heavy human losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, many interpretations have been given in terms of sustainable development and despite the different nuances in the concept interpretation, all the definitions tend to converge in a unique way within the environmental debate and everything related to the protection of territorial diversity. In these terms, even the Gargano National Park has moved in this direction, by promoting specific actions for the exploitation of natural resources and preparing the implementation of plans and programs for development of the territory. And it is just within the aspect of environmental sustainability that emerge the most critical points: the development of heterogeneous process has contributed to accentuate one of the main problems of the area -- the road network -- which, through a net shift of the tourists axis to the coast, has resulted in congestion of external road networks and lack in the internal networks. Therefore, although the tourism sector represents the largest source of actual and potential wealth of the Gargano's area, it doesn't yet reach the levels of development desirable relating to the major opportunities available over the region. In this work are highlighted lights and shadows of the development process that has characterized the last two decades about Gargano National Park, marking the aspects related to tourism, the promotion and development of the territory, highlighting the gaps and providing a key view about the possible construction of a real Local Tourist System. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pescara is a "young" city, that perhaps still participate, in part, to the underdevelopment of southern Italy, but since a few years this urban center represents the coupling to the Adriatic development model, creating a weld with the "third Italy". This is the position and the interpretative key of the reasons for the growth of Pescara, a rural and military village that, without renouncing to the contributions of the traditional sectors, opened itself with enthusiasm to the industry, the market and the first forms of tourism; the city broke down the ancient fortifications and was projected towards the river - which became the port - and the pine forest, to reach the beach and the woods for the new recreational needs; this new urban center began to integrate its production with Castellammare. Shortly, Pescara built, during the end of the last century, the foundations for the conquest of the urban hegemony, in terms of population and services, along the middle Adriatic sea, beyond the Abruzzo administrative boundaries. So we can see a situation that evolves all the time with problems and imbalances, with increasing force and with the ability to mobilize all available resources and opportunities, if we watch this from a more detached point of view in order to insert the city dynamics at the mouth of the Pescara river in the regional and national level and if we adopt an appropriate method of comparison. Pescara, certainly, has many aspects of evolution in this direction: from industrial and commercial city became an interregional and international metropolitan node - thanks to new relationships with the opposite side of the Adriatic -, increasing its value in the tourism market. Pescara is not currently a tourism attraction of "pleasure" for foreigners, but it is an important business center for them. However It maintains importance, for the hinterland inhabitants, as summer resort destination for a touring day. In fact it is the only center in the region which is equipped with the facilities of a modern business city, but combined, and "sweetened" by the pleasures of a holiday destination (weather, events, nightlife, waterfront restaurants, etc.). It's the place where all the tourist routes, to discover the region, start or end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]