Venice and the Touristic Imagery. On the Utility not to part Big and Small Ordinary Events

The discourse about tourism and urban structures deals with real, imaginary and symbolic themes. Starting from the images of the aristocratic holidays, and of the travel like a knowledge adventure, I focus on Venice as a study-case: 10 millions tourists per year (85% from foreign countries) face 60.000 inhabitants living in the central islands. The Lido of Venice has an autonomous feature inside the urbanization, with an image related to the Belle Epoque. The transformation of the city parts seems now to pass through the relations among different fields. The first one are the cultural activities, like the most vitalizing factor. The second one is the demand for environmental quality, that is getting higher. The third one is the residential function, that comes together with the reduction of the welfare state. The fourth field are the local economical activities,while unemployment is getting higher in Italy (40% jobless young people). The tourists will go to Venice with an unlimited, vague and mediatic idea of its essence. The citizens and their rapresentances should better think at Venice like a great but limited resource, that cannot be preserved if its citizens don.t increase it through ordinary actions, within a coherent public vision.