The BEST – Pathway for BEtter, Sustainable and connected Territory project, co-funded by the European Union under the Interreg VI-A Italy-Slovenia Programme, presents the second cross-border project event, scheduled for Thursday 8 October 2026 at Duino Castle, Duino 32, starting at 6.00 pm.
Entitled “Experiences and stories without borders”, the event will provide an opportunity for operators, stakeholders, institutions and communities from both sides of the border to come together, with the aim of sharing experiences and reflecting on how local identity, communication and the ability to tell the story of the region can help make the cross-border tourism offering more recognisable and attractive.
A region to showcase beyond the border
BEST was set up to support tourism, cultural and gastronomic operators in the cross-border area in developing new innovative, entrepreneurial, digital and green skills. The project also aims to strengthen relations between Italian and Slovenian operators, fostering the creation of a more integrated offering and promoting the border as a source of connection and opportunity.
The event on 8 October translates these objectives into a concrete opportunity for discussion. The focus will be on experiences, the stories of places and the ways in which a region can build and communicate its identity – themes that are particularly important for small local businesses seeking to stand out and make their offering more recognisable.
“Tourism is A.R.T.E.”: from hospitality to food and wine
The centrepiece of the event will be an experiential presentation by Nicola Santini entitled “Tourism is A.R.T.E. – Hospitality, Storytelling, Territory, Food and Wine”. Through images, questions, simulations and practical examples, the audience will be drawn into an exploration of the various elements that contribute to shaping the tourist experience.
The session will begin with Hospitality, exploring the role of language, attitude and interpersonal relationships during the first encounter with a destination. Storytelling, meanwhile, will be at the centre of a discussion on images, slogans and communication methods capable of drawing attention to a region. Under the theme Territory, local identity will be discussed as a distinctive feature, whilst Food and Wine will be addressed as part of a destination’s experience, culture and heritage.
Part of the session will also be dedicated to the “etiquette of contemporary tourism”, focusing on small gestures, professional image, communication and the new languages of international hospitality.
From communication to the tangible experience of the region
The event will continue at 19.30 with a guided tasting of regional produce and local specialities, marking the conclusion of the experience.
This part of the event also reflects one of the central elements of the BEST project: promoting local heritage through experiences that bring together tourism, culture, gastronomy and the identity of the regions of the two countries.
For local operators, taking part therefore means not only learning about new approaches to communication and hospitality, but also engaging with a cross-border perspective in which collaboration, creativity and the ability to convey what makes a region unique can become practical tools for developing the tourism sector. The BEST project was created precisely to strengthen these skills and foster new connections between those working in Italy and Slovenia.
For further information and details on registration, please write to: urp@comune.duino-aurisina.ts.it
