Maria Grazia Cito (p), Marika Arena, Angela Stefania Bergantino, Alessandro Buongiorno, Mario Intini, Francesco Scotti

Anna Maria Pinna

This study examines the impact of European Union Cohesion Policy-funded tourism investments on the attractiveness of Italian municipalities. Using the “Tourism Attractiveness” dataset from Open Coesione, tourism projects were reclassified to distinguish between different types of investments. Their effects are estimated using a spatial model. The findings indicate that Cohesion Policy funds generally enhance tourism attractiveness, though the impact varies depending on the type of investment. Certain investments exhibit synergistic and non-linear effects, with diminishing returns at higher spending levels. These results highlight the complex dynamics of tourism funding, offering valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders seeking to optimize investment strategies for enhancing local tourism appeal.

Anna Maria (p), Pinna Vania Licio

Giulio Fusco

This paper provides a novel measure of domestic distances within Italy which uses information on the difference between the theoretical travel times (time required to connect two locations without any impediment or congestion factor) and the real travel times (the actual time required at peak hours). Using the distance between the two travel measures provides crucial information on the asymmetric charges on road infrastructure in Italy, which depends on several factors, including the size of the cities, the availability of several transport modalities and the network structure in the economic activities that insist in the wider area. Results of the analysis highlight how differences in domestic distances do not always point to a simple north/south divide of the country. The same kilometre distance can be associated with significantly different travel times in the same macro-region or even in the same NUTS2 region. In this way, the analysis provides detailed evidence of the intervention that policymakers need to facilitate accessibility and promote transportation equality within Italy.

Angela Stefania Bergantino, Giulio Fusco (p), Mario Intini

Vania Licio

Monetary incentives for specific geographical areas have been implemented and regulated globally to stimulate economic growth in less developed regions, often yielding mixed and varied outcomes. Recently, Italy has launched similar initiatives to invigorate the economy of its southern regions, which are marked by significant territorial and economic gaps/disparities. This study focuses on the impact of Special Economic Zones (SEZ) in Puglia, a southern Italian region designated for these policies, using a Matching Difference-in-Difference (Matching DiD) analysis to assess their effects. Although the transport and logistics sector is formally excluded from SEZ incentives, one of the key requirements for establishing an SEZ in Italy is the inclusion of at least one port area. This paper assesses the indirect impact of SEZs on the transport and logistics sector. The findings indicate positive and significant effects on firm revenues, highlighting the potential of SEZs to serve as effective tools for revitalizing economically underdeveloped areas.

Vania Licio (p), Anna Maria Pinna

Giuliano Resce

This paper aims to address and discuss the measurement of within-country accessibility by computing travel times for Italy. Accessibility is a multidimensional concept commonly quantified through various indices, reflecting the proximity of goods, services, and employment opportunities for individuals and firms. Travel times are the flip side of the coin: they provide essential information for discussing accessibility. Typically, domestic accessibility is measured at the municipal level, the smallest unit of analysis used in official national statistics; however, this territorial division may lack the granularity needed to capture specific variations within each unit. Conversely, supranational accessibility leverages finer information; however, if collected worldwide, global satellite and geocoded data may struggle with fine-grained accuracy within a country. To tackle these issues, we propose and analyze some measures of accessibility, defined by travel times to cities, transport infrastructure, and facilities at the sub-municipal level, using grid cells of five-by-five kilometers for the whole Italian territory and combining geocoded information with data from the national census and governmental offices. The measures computed in this paper offer a finer-grained quantification of accessibility, capturing differences within the same administrative level. Additionally, the grid cell approach, an analytical framework independent of political or administrative boundaries, allows for a more exogenous accessibility measurement. The results presented in this study highlight considerable variance in accessibility across Italy. Northern Italy demonstrates the shortest travel times, supported by its extensive transport networks, particularly in the Po Valley of northwestern Italy, which connects major urban and industrial hubs. However, mountainous areas in the Alps face longer travel times due to challenging topography, reflecting persistent connectivity barriers. These findings highlight how developed transport networks contribute to reduced travel times, a pattern less evident in central and southern regions. Central Italy exhibits mixed results: while urban centers benefit from strong transport links, rural and mountainous areas, particularly in the Apennines, experience significant delays due to geographic constraints and limited infrastructure. In southern Italy, disparities become more pronounced. Regions such as Calabria, Basilicata, and parts of Campania show high travel times, reflecting sparse transport networks and rugged terrain. The islands of Sardinia and Sicily face some of the most severe accessibility challenges, with extensive areas exceeding 90 minutes of travel time to critical infrastructure or urban centers.

Angela Stefania Bergantino, Nicola Caravaggio, Giorgio Ialenti, Mario Intini, Giuliano Resce (p)

Maria Grazia Cito

The classification of Italy’s inner areas has long served as a cornerstone for territorial policies aimed at addressing spatial disparities and improving service accessibility in peripheral regions. This study revisits and enhances the framework established by the National Strategy for Inner Areas (Strategia Nazionale Aree Interne – SNAI), originally defined in 2014 and updated in 2020. By providing a tool for real-time monitoring and proposing a more nuanced methodology for classifying inner areas, the present research aims to better inform policymakers on infrastructural and service-related challenges faced by non-urban municipalities. The expanded approach considers not only the traditional metric of travel time by car to the nearest urban center but also differentiates distances to key essential services – hospitals, educational institutions, and railway stations – by using the actual location of the municipal town hall rather than the geometric centroid. These methodological innovations yield a more realistic and detailed picture of service accessibility. Notably, when applying the 2020 thresholds to 2025 data, the proportion of municipalities classified as inner areas increased from 48.5% to 60.4%, signaling that peripheral municipalities have grown in number despite the allocation of approximately one billion euros since 2014. This counterintuitive finding underlines the necessity for more focused interventions and enhanced resource allocation. The study discusses the implications for territorial cohesion, the equitable distribution of public resources, and the potential for developing predictive models to guide future infrastructure development