Cultural tourism in Italy must embrace hybrid models

The article argues that traditional Italian tourism models—agriturismi and star-rated hotels—are obsolete. COVID-19 exposed the sector's delay in innovating beyond the place/non-place dichotomy. The demand for identity and relationship had already emerged across all segments, even luxury hotels, as standardization ended and new concepts of welfare, wellbeing, safety, compliance, and experience arose. Art cities, museums, Italy's diffuse museum, and cultural and creative enterprises should lead this revolution. Hospitality is no longer the exclusive domain of traditional operators; paradigms are shifting. Agritourism will evolve into open-air tourism with environmental innovation, such as underdeveloped cycling routes despite a mild Mediterranean climate and near-total art-landscape integration. Hotels must adopt hybrid formats where accommodation is the smallest part of the offer; services, communication, and high cultural content (music, literature, sculpture, theater) will differentiate the experience. Inspiring examples abroad include Hauser & Wirth's gallery in Somerset. The key word is hybridization: one project during the first lockdown involved regenerating a space in an art city as an art-focused hospitality venue. A new supply chain could connect pandemic-emptied properties, local cultural and creative enterprises, and cultural heritage, turning these places into departure points for discovering territory and communities rather than mere arrival points.