Innovative tourist models in Italian ghost villages

Today the phenomenon of abandoned villages in peripheral and mountain isolated zones is a significant problem not only in Italy but also in other European nations and in other world areas. However, there is a lack of systematic studies about the way in which tourism and innovation can help facing this problem. In order to adress this gap, thi article highlights how the problem of depopulation has been dealt with in a mountain area of Calabria, in southern Italy. This region represents an interesting geographical context for such an empirical focus. The research analysed different situations, the type of consequences of the various choices and the role played by local communities. In particular, the cases of three villages have been studied to evaluate how, from the stakeholders's point of view, the development of sustainable, authentic and community-based forms of tourism might have different effects referring to the problem of the abandonment of residential settlements.