BY OUR EDITORIAL STAFF
Thanks to regional financing allocated to the promotion of the CCN and with the cooperation of Confcommercio Grosseto, the Centro Commerciale Naturale di Castiglione della Pescaia has realized the Castiglione One Love project.
The project, to the value of twenty-two thousand euro, has been funded 50% by the Tuscany region and has as its main objective, in line with the stated funding objectives, the enhancement and improvement of the CCN and its networked businesses. The aim of the actions envisaged was to create a project consistent and integrated with the promotional activities of the Castiglione della Pescaia Council aimed at Tourism and the Centro Commerciale Naturale. Concretely we have created a digital platform, a map and a campaign video to promote local artisanal products. A positive comment on the campaign came from regional councillor Leonardo Marras.
“Castiglione della Pescaia is one of the most important tourist municipalities in Tuscany and it’s essential that it presents its hospitality offer both online and offline in the best possible way – comments Leonardo Marras, Councilor for Tourism for the Tuscan Region. The regional contribution has strengthened the collaboration between businesses and the municipal administration with the aim of enhancing and strengthening, from a digital point of view too, the Maremma Experience consortium and the Natural Shopping Centre and this can only gratify us. Speaking with a single and shared language is the best way to effectively promote something.”
Jessica Bello, president of the Natural Shopping Center, discussing this project, explained that it had been possible to create a new highly digitized portal with geolocation and interactive map of the Centre in collaboration with Studio TS of Castiglione della Pescaia. Visitors will be able to navigate the site to search for their desired product or type of business or service. Every business will have a dedicated space with images, information and a description in addition to the possibility of activating an online shop for nearby or distant potential customers, an option some traders have already explored independently during the pandemic and that the CCN wants to further facilitate. There is also a Fidelity Card currently in development, which will be launched Christmas 2021 and that will feature exclusive discounts and offers for digital card holders. The website is ccncastiglionedellapescaia.it.
“Over the years the synergy between the Association and the Municipality has developed more and more – the president of the CNN told us. The purpose of the Centro Commerciale Naturale is the interaction of town and traders. They are the first to interface with the tourists who come to Castiglione della Pescaia. Developing this partnership creates a benefit for all.”
In addition to the digital platform a bilingual (Italian/English) map of the centre of Castiglione della Pescaia has been created which will be distributed in shops, hospitality facilities and by the tourist office as a free info map that shows on one side the centre with a list of shops, restaurants, bars and services in the CCN and a series of info boxes about the Castiglione area, its main attractions and services of interest to visitors to this seaside town.
The synergistic relationship that the CCN has with the local municipal administration is fundamental.
“This Municipality has always strongly believed, the Councillor for Tourism and Productive Activities Susanna Lorenzini tells me, in the great potential that the Natural Shopping Center and the Maremma Experience consortium represent for a tourist area like ours. This is why it is the duty of a council to support a project like the one presented here, which highlights a lively and dynamic historic centre and which promotes the area not only for its seaside and historical beauties but also for the experiences and the fabric of commercial and artisan activities that make it up.”
Always with the goal of promoting classic local products a project/series of videos with the title Made by hand has been produced. Thanks to these videos it will be possible to enter the workshops of craftsmen and the young creatives of Castiglione della Pescaia and discover the work going on behind the scenes. In this first series, seven enterprises are related by Carlo Settembrini’s (a young Videomaker from Grosseto) camera. The project is sponsored by the Municipality of Castiglione della Pescaia and fits the strategy of local promotion of Tuscany Promotion. City quitting and the return to village life and authentic products is in fact one of the seven travel themes identified for the Tuscan Renaissance without end campaign.”
“Castiglione della Pescaia is undoubtedly one of the pearls of our province – Gabriella Orlando, director of Confcommercio Grosseto told me – but we know also that the beauty of a place is not enough for today’s tourists, who want an engaging, immersive and authentic experience. Therefore I consider it very important to continue to build projects focussed on innovation and digitization to enhance the traditional businesses and crafts and that above all create synergies because everybody from shopkeepers to artisans to institutions must be able to work together to make the welcome to the area warmer and stronger.”
At the side of the CCN is also the Consortium Maremma Experience led by Enzo Riemma and that works for the communication and promotion of the seaside town and the whole Maremma. With the its 200 companies represented by five major associations, Maremma Experience has partnered with energy and creativity on the creation of the Tourism map. This is one of the tools for the promotional dates that the CCN has in Serbia for the summer 2021.
“The consortium is a tool that also serves to support initiatives such as those promoted by the CCN – says Riemma – with special thanks to President Jessica and her associates who have managed to draw up a series of projects with an important vision of the new way to do tourism and communication. Castiglione della Pescaia is the second largest destination in tourist numbers in Tuscany thanks in part to the work of the various associations.”
Info: ccncastiglionedellapescaia.it/ maremmaexperience.it/ turismocastiglionedellapescaia.it