2014 - The song "Si Cambia per Non Morire" (Change to Avoid Dying) becomes a strategy for promoting tourism and culture.

Pugliautentica was born from the transformation of the Opera Association and has become a territorial marketing association that promotes traditions, intangible heritage and sustainable tourism in Puglia.

"Change to avoid dying" - Thank you, Fiorella, you have inspired a revolution.

As the famous song by Fiorella Mannoia says, something new was taking shape. I felt the need to better characterise the path of tourism and cultural promotion that we had been pursuing for years, but there was something wrong with the existing formula.

I felt that the path of tourism and cultural promotion initiated over the years with the Opera Association needed a change of pace.

The work was there, as were the ideas, but the formula was no longer enough: we needed a name, an identity and a narrative that clearly conveyed what we really wanted to do for Puglia.

It wasn't just a rebranding: it was a choice of positioning in territorial marketing.

Mission: to convey authenticity (the real thing)

Puglia Autentica was founded as an association with professional expertise serving the local area, with a clear objective:

- to promote and enhance the folk traditions and folklore of Apulia;

- promoting intangible heritage (rituals, memories, celebrations, gestures) using communication tools that do not induce boredom;

- transforming the story of Puglia into a contemporary visual and narrative language.

Puglia has always been a borderland between East and West:

Puglia Autentica describes it as a crossroads of artistic and cultural influences, where tradition and innovation do not exclude each other, but are in constant dialogue.

The future is sustainable authenticity

For Puglia Autentica, authenticity is not nostalgia for postcards: it is a strategy for the future.

The association works to:

- innovating local culture, overcoming stereotypes and fast-consumption folklore;

- creating opportunities for sustainable development for tourism in Puglia, linking traditions, communities and businesses;

- developing territorial marketing projects capable of bringing together local identity, the economy and the quality of the tourist experience.

The message is simple:

If a territory sticks to its old formulas, it will survive; if it has the courage to change its language and strategy, it can thrive.

[Tell me about your area: let's see if it's time to 'change or die'].

website >  www.associazionepugliautentica.it

2020 - PUGLIAUTENTICA.IT – doing territorial marketing when the world has come to a standstill

Thinking about holidays in full lockdown

March 2020. Italy is in lockdown, Puglia is a 'red zone' and the only maps we look at are those showing the spread of the virus. I, on the other hand, pick up the phone and call the mayors from Gargano to Ionio.

"Armenio, this is a red zone!" they tell me. I respond by talking about itineraries, storytelling and territorial marketing for "the day after".

That stubbornness gave rise to the idea of a unique brand: PugliaAutentica.it – the Puglia you've never seen (the one that, by decree, you couldn't see at that time).

The objective is clear: to develop a countercyclical territorial marketing project that keeps alive the desire for authentic Puglia while everything is at a standstill. Traditional Easter events, patron saint festivals, spiritual journeys, food and wine: everything is on standby, but ready to take off when things reopen.

A visionary (or simply crazy) strategy

While many are suspending campaigns and investments, I am scheduling calls on Zoom and putting together pieces of territory:

- Easter rituals and processions;

- patron saint festivals and popular devotions;

- slow walks;

- typical Apulian food and wine products;

The result is PugliaAutentica.it, a portal that combines storytelling, tourism promotion and regional marketing, accompanied by a marketplace to support local businesses in full lockdown.

The figures for the first phase:

- 14 municipalities from Gargano to Ionio that adhere to the first click;

- 15 typical businesses entering the marketplace when you can't even leave your own town;

- shipments to Italy and Europe while travel is still just a memory.

Networking between municipalities, businesses and communities

The heart of the project is not only the website, but also the network that is created around it: municipal administrations, cultural operators, agri-food companies, and associations.

PugliaAutentica becomes a laboratory for collaborative territorial marketing: everyone contributes what they have – traditions, places, products, stories – to build a unique and shared narrative of authentic Puglia.

Promote your region

Does your destination require a countercyclical territorial marketing plan? We can work together to:

- build or strengthen the brand of the territory;

- networking municipalities, businesses and local communities;

- designing strategies ready for restarting even in times of crisis;

- transforming rituals, landscapes and products into travel experiences.

Write to me if you want to plan the next 'plan B' for your area.

website > www.pugliautentica.it

press > www.pugliautentica.it/parlano-di-noi.html

video > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuCpIHUu1hQ

press: www.rainews.it/tgr/puglia/articoli/2021/05/pug-Puglia-autentica-turismo-cultura-agroalimentare-097ed912-afb4-40f4-917b-4a1477c63ea2.html

2023 - PUGLIAUTENTICA.IT - Make some noise with Bassa Musica – BIT Milan

Experiential marketing for the launch of Pugliautentica.it at the International Tourism Exchange

To present the Pugliautentica.it project at the BIT – International Tourism Exchange in Milan 2023, I designed an experiential territorial marketing campaign aimed at making Puglia's identity recognizable and memorable within the fair.

Context and objectives

The objective was twofold:

- to launch the Pugliautentica.it portal as a reference point for tourism linked to local traditions, rituals, and communities;

- to attract the attention of buyers, tour operators, and the press within a highly competitive space such as BIT.

To do this, we chose to use a strongly identifying element: the Bassa Musica “Città di Molfetta”, transforming our presence at the fair into a promotional campaign for the region on the move.

My role

I was responsible for:

- devising the “Make some noise!” concept as a lever for visibility for Pugliautentica.it;

- involving the Bassa Musica “Città di Molfetta” band and defining a program of itinerant performances between the stands;

- coordinating relations with the Puglia Region, the BIT organization, and the project's partners;

- managing the logistical aspects related to travel, instruments, times, and methods of intervention within the fair.

An unexpected event related to the shipment of one of the main instruments (the bass drum) required tight organizational management, confirming the importance of flexible planning even at trade fairs.

An unexpected issue related to the shipment of one of the main instruments (the bass drum) required tight organizational management, confirming the importance of flexible planning even at trade fairs.

Results

- Significant increase in visibility and visitor flow in the Puglia area and at the space connected to Pugliautentica.it;

- attention from national and international tour operators thanks to the distinctive nature of the musical performance;

- production of video content and communication materials that can be reused on the web and social media;

- strengthening of Pugliautentica's positioning as a project dedicated to authentic Puglia, far from standardized tourist formats.

- considerable increase in online sales of food and wine products;

Find out more

- Project website:

www.pugliautentica.it

- Video of the event at BIT:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xioz-gJKJUo

Do you want to give your region more visibility at tourism fairs?

I can support you in designing experiential marketing strategies for tourism fairs and exhibitions, working on:

- concepts and formats linked to the identity of the territory;

- coordination between public bodies, cultural organizations, and private operators;

- organizational and logistical management of performances, entertainment, and promotional activities.

Write to me if you want to transform your next trade fair participation into a recognizable experience that is consistent with the history of your territory.

2026 - Banda Santa Cecilia Molfetta - 30 years of music and passion

There is a date that has been etched in my memory since I started working on this project: 22 April 1996.

It was the day when fifteen people came together with a single conviction: that Molfetta deserved its own musical voice. Since that day, the Santa Cecilia Band has never stopped.

When the association entrusted me with the design and coordination of the photographic exhibition for its thirtieth anniversary, I immediately realised that simply celebrating its history was not enough.

It had to be told with the same emotion and passion with which that story had been lived.

The project: an exhibition on Apulian musical heritage

The exhibition "30 Years of Music and Passion" is an exhibition of over thirty photographic panels inaugurated on 7 March 2026 at the Sala dei Templari in Molfetta, under the patronage of the Municipality.

It traces thirty years of history of the Banda Santa Cecilia since its foundation in 1996 through Holy Week in Molfetta, the patron saint's festival, concerts and the music school, recounting the value of Apulia's intangible musical heritage.

Concept development, copywriting and communication strategy

My work on this project has encompassed every aspect of cultural communication.

I devised the narrative structure of the exhibition, defining the exhibition layout and the logic behind the sequence of sections to create a coherent and exciting story.

I wrote all the texts for the panels using a narrative style that would appeal both to visitors from Molfetta and to tourists encountering the Apulian band tradition and the funeral marches of Holy Week for the first time.

I oversaw the entire marketing and communication strategy, from newsletters to press releases, social media content to preparing interviews for local and regional media, with the aim of bringing the exhibition to the attention of the entire Apulian community.

Cultural value

The funeral marches that accompany the processions of Holy Week in Apulia are not just music; they are the sound identity of an entire region, proudly preserved by associations such as the Banda Santa Cecilia di Molfetta.

This project has allowed me to bring together over forty years of experience in graphic design, publishing, photography and cultural planning in the service of a heritage that deserves to be known and valued.

Creating a cultural event means transforming memory and identity into a narrative that speaks to the community.

I am convinced that this project has succeeded.

Do you have a cultural project to share?

I am at your disposal. Write to me and let's find out how we can work together.

> Press

https://www.puglialive.net/30-anni-di-musica-e-passione-la-banda-santa-cecilia-inaugura-la-sua-mostra-fotografica-a-molfetta-il-7-marzo/

https://www.molfettaviva.it/notizie/trent-anni-in-musica-la-banda-santa-cecilia-racconta-molfetta/

https://www.laltramolfetta.it/banda-santa-cecilia-30-anni-di-musica-e-passione-in-mostra/

https://molfettalive.it/2026/03/03/trentanni-di-musica-memoria-e-identita-sabato-si-celebra-la-banda-santa-cecilia/

> Video

https://youtu.be/2LqefOHKLxo?si=sonJ6cNKMXslMgAd

https://telenorba.it/2026/03/09/molfetta-i-30-anni-della-banda-di-santa-cecilia-celebrati-in-una-mostra/