Armes progetti was asked to identify a strategy to increase the competitive advantage of the Festival Paganiniano di Carro, organised by the Società dei concerti della Spezia since 2002, in order to position it as a tourist attraction at regional level.

An analysis of the territorial context showed that the territory where the Festival is held belongs to a rural area with a low population density and residential settlements subject to depopulation, as they are far from the urban centres of reference.

The main sources of income come from activities related to agriculture, trade and tourism. Consequently, due to its lack of attractiveness and political representation, the area enjoys little attention from the local provincial authorities.

It emerged that the problem had to be placed in the area of governance, i.e. a system of shared rules based on common beliefs. Hence the idea of creating an intermediate body, endowed with its own planning, capable of being able to dialogue with the local authorities and the event promoter.

The result was the creation of a non-profit association ‘Friends of the Paganini Festival in Carro’ capable of bringing together local interests, expressed by local residents, second-home owners and local administrators, in order to develop a network capable of making up for the organisational and institutional shortcomings of the area.