A new tool is coming for fans of sustainable tourism: is called "Atlas of soft mobility in Italy” and mark all communication routes with low environmental impact present in our country (railway stations, cycle paths, paths, trails and greenways) by relating them to the historical, artistic and naturalistic heritage. The initiative is promoted by the Italian Railway Network (FS Italiane Group) together with the 29 associations that make up the Alliance for Soft Mobility (Amodo).
The goal is “to experiment with a new formula of collaborative geography based on digital technologies - it is read in a release – to map stations, cycle-pedestrian paths, villages, parks and historical assets”, thus building “a model of sustainable mobility, integrated and widespread throughout the territory, in support of sustainable tourism and the local economy and inland areas”.
The Atlas "contains a precious collection of information, useful for finding your way among the countless sites of historical and cultural interest present in the vicinity of the stations - continues the note - A practical dissemination tool also capable of guiding assessments, choices and solutions by Institutions and Local Authorities in the development of soft mobility in their territories. It is the first compendium of its kind to include in an integrated way the network of paths, cycle paths, tourist railways, parks, villages, historical assets and scenic beauties present throughout Italy".
Sustainable tourism: what the new Atlas of Soft Mobility in Italy contains
The list of stations, communication routes and beauties reported in the first edition of the Atlas of Soft Mobility in Italy is quite long:
- 3.000 railway stations active (of which about 2.000 from Rfi);
- 28 tourist railway lines active or planned (for about 1.300 km);
- 900 villages of the networks belonging to Amodo (Orange Flags, Authentic Villages of Italy, Cittaslow, Virtuous Municipalities, Most Beautiful Villages of Italy);
- 12.000 km of trails;
- 83 walks, for a total of about 23 km;
- 1.656 protected areas, of which 24 National Parks, 147 National Nature Reserves, 134 Regional Natural Parks and Regional Nature Reserves, 112 WWF Oasis, 3 Submerged Natural Parks and 27 Marine Protected Areas and 66 Mineral Parks;
- 55 Unesco sites;
- 18.000 km of greenways and cycle paths, existing and planned (37 greenways, 3 Eurovelo itineraries, 10 National Tourist Cycle Routes, 20 Bicitalia itineraries).
To all these networks are added “50 local railway lines in exercise of extraordinary beauty - continues the press release - which cross the internal areas and the Italian territories, which have been named by Rfi and Amodo as "Landscape lines" to be proposed for slow tourism".
