The Power of Fiction in Creating a Territory’s Image

Abstract

The current economic crisis, and its effects on the European sovereign debt, has resulted in a significant reduction in Italian investments in the field of preservation and enhancement of cultural heritage. In fragile contexts, such as Sicily, the contraction of investments has put further into crisis the already weak manage- ment and planning system. Despite this scenario of crisis, in South-Eastern Sicily, the province of Ragusa shows a significant resilience to the crisis also due to the “Mon- talbano effect” and the capability to rethink the traditional heritage policies (Maga- zzino and Mantovani 2012). The paper, based on the analysis of the South-Eastern Sicily case study, reflects on these potential and conflictive elements generated by the relationship between cine-tourism and local policies.