2024 was the year of Roots in Movementthe main theme of IT.A.CÀ, the festival that has been redefining sustainable tourism in Italy for sixteen years. With Sardinia at the center of our experience, we participated as media partners in two unforgettable stages: Quartu Sant’Elena and Ogliastra, where the theme of the festival became alive and tangible. Here, between trekking in authentic territories and experiences linked to the tradition of this fantastic land, we experienced first-hand an idea of tourism that intertwines past and future, local and global, in a constant movement.
The roots that expand
As Pierluigi Musarò, co-founder of the festival, underlined: “Roots expand, communicate, mix here and elsewhere”. This vision inspired a network of events that in 2024 involved more than 20,000 participants, 260 events in 8 regions and a social impact of almost 7 million people. Important numbers, of course, but what is really striking is the soul of the festival: a widespread laboratory in which the roots are never static, but instruments of connection between people and places.
A tourism to be built together
What makes IT.A.CÀ unique is its collaborative approach: it doesn’t just talk about responsible tourism: it carries it out together with local communities, with over 700 organizations, institutions and citizens involved. A concrete example? In Sardinia we participated in trekking and cultural itineraries that not only enhanced the territory, but did so in full respect of its characteristics, avoiding any tourist forcing. In Quartu Sant’Elena, between the Gulf of Angels and the paths with attention to the smallest details, we discovered an authentic experience, where the dialogue with those who live in those places every day was the true protagonist.
Education and roots: collaborations that inspire
The 2024 edition was also a hotbed of innovative projects, such as Highwayswhich took high school students on an educational walking trip through Italy, and Italy – Roots Tourisma MAECI initiative to bring new and old generations of Italians abroad closer to the places of their origins. These projects demonstrate how tourism can become a tool for intergenerational learning and connection.
A look beyond the festival
IT.A.CÀ’s journey never stops: at the end of November, the network met in San Giovanni in Persiceto to AITR Meetan event dedicated to tracing the new routes of sustainable tourism in Italy. We are already looking towards 2025, with the aim of expanding this community and experimenting with new ideas. Because IT.A.CÀ is not just a festival, but a living laboratory, where tourism is transformed into a means to reinterpret the territory, build communities and imagine a more inclusive future.
What have we learned?
This edition taught us that traveling can be much more than moving from one place to another: it can be a way to rediscover who we are and imagine who we want to become. We are proud to have been part of this journey.
