What do the Cinque Terre need most?
Bordoni: “The Cinque Terre need to stop inventing new enemies every other day.
What we need is collaboration with neighboring territories.
They also need long-term investments in the identity of these places. Temporary solutions are not enough: what is required is deep work that takes into account the history, culture, and unique characteristics of the area.
For example, if I had a magic wand tomorrow morning, I would halve the cost of wine production. Because without wine production, there is no maintenance of the land; and without maintenance of the land, there is no identity.
And without identity, the real drivers of attraction disappear — the ones that can ensure the long-term appeal of international tourism.
In short, what do the Cinque Terre need? To look further ahead, with a shared project rooted in their most authentic essence.”
What do you mean by “halving the costs of wine production”?
Bordoni: “When I talk about halving the costs of wine production, I mean investments in infrastructure: monorails, technological improvements in cultivation, but above all, land recovery.
With the Manarola Cinquantenario Foundation, in collaboration with the Park Authority, we have been working in this direction for years. The wine market is extremely competitive: production costs are very high and, as a result, sales suffer — especially in a time of global economic crisis.
The most important interventions, therefore, are those on the physical territory: investments in dry stone walls and technological innovation that can make viticulture more sustainable and economically viable.”
The Cinque Terre have seen a decrease in overnight stays, while La Spezia has experienced growth. What is your take on this?
Bordoni: “There is no reason for a rivalry between La Spezia and the Cinque Terre.
La Spezia has lower costs across the board, and it was only a matter of time before, thanks also to public investments, it grew in terms of structures and services.
In the Cinque Terre, on the other hand, costs are higher in every respect, and this is reflected in prices. To this, we must add the choices made by local administrations, which have often complicated matters further, increasing costs and making the tourist experience more difficult. But we must not look for scapegoats.
La Spezia is right to establish itself as the hub of the province, while the Cinque Terre must focus on simplification and on raising the quality of services. We entrepreneurs must also do our part: improving hospitality, food service, and customer care.
It would also help if administrations stopped launching “one-off” initiatives and worked more on long-term projects. I am thinking, for example, of the Via dell’Amore or the issue of train fares, where more attention should be paid to tourists who stay overnight.
That said, tourists — whether Italian or foreign — don’t care about administrative divisions. What they want is a simple, seamless experience.
The so-called “war” between La Spezia and the Cinque Terre is pointless, born of a conservative mindset that leads nowhere. Both administrations and operators must learn to see the richness and variety of services as an opportunity, not as a zero-sum competition.”
Let’s talk about cruises and overtourism.
Bordoni: “The issue of cruises is very simple. If you want to avoid large concentrations of people in limited spaces and in short periods of time, you must offer alternatives.
Collaboration between territories is therefore fundamental. If you want to spread flows and reduce overcrowding, you must provide visitors with different options.
It’s a positive idea to work together with the Val di Vara, the Val di Magra, other areas of Liguria, but also with nearby places like Massa and Carrara.
If we really want to reduce the concentration of groups, we have to spread them across the territory, not create conflicts.
We don’t need wars; we need collaboration.”
