Matera 2019: Beyond Tourism to Tech and Infrastructure

Matera's tenure as European Capital of Culture in 2019 is expected to generate long-term impacts beyond festivities, focusing on economic transformation, urban and extra-urban infrastructure, skills development, and social capital. The city aims to become a technological reference point for southern Italy, leveraging the event to foster cultural and creative industries, manage tourist flows, and enhance public-private capacity. Mayor's policy emphasizes technology over tourism, while mobility infrastructure may not be ready for the inauguration but must be operational later. The investment, largely public, justifies high expectations for sustainable change.