Turismo della memoria: alla ricerca delle radici in Brasile

Abstract

Emigrants or their descendants visiting the countries of origin is one of the most relevant forms of tourism. For various reasons such flow, quite economically relevant, affects Europe rather than other parts of the world, because of the higher purchasing power of well-off immigrants. Moved by individual interests, it usually directs to the oldest areas of destination, but is also featured by return flows towards the regions of origin of the old immigrants, especially where emigration dates back to earlier times. This determines the tendency to preserve the memories of migrants into the territory, as well as to organize trips and stays. Tourism is mostly made up of monuments, family homes, places of work pertaining to emigration and museum collections. In Brazil, the offer for the Italian tourist is obviously higher in the areas of intense Italian immigration, such as São Paulo and Belo Horizonte, although museums, memorials and archives useful for the search of Italian families can be found also in the smaller states of the South. The bibliography and lists of websites enclosed provide tools to the purpose.