On 4 and 5 September 2026, the 15th edition of the International Gathering of Anthropological Masks (R.I.M.A.), organised by the Pro Loco, took place in Tricarico. This year, the festival significantly expanded its scope, hosting, in addition to the traditional Italian masks, twenty groups and delegations from six countries: Bulgaria, Portugal, Spain, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. Having become a key meeting point for communities and mask groups from both Italy and abroad, the event, as part of the “Anthropological Dialogues” series, sought to provide a forum for discussion and debate, exploring the relationship between the tourism industry and cultural traditions.
Held at the town’s “G. Massaioli” Villa Comunale, the round-table discussion addressed the theme “The temptations of tourism. Intangible heritage, rituals and communities: how to remain authentic in the face of tourism’. The focus was on the relationship between promoting local areas and safeguarding and enhancing intangible heritage, with particular attention to the potential positive aspects of tourism practices, which must not distort cultural heritage, rituals or traditions but, on the contrary, must respect the communities that preserve and revitalise them.
How can we make these rituals accessible to an ever-wider audience, without altering their defining identity, whilst taking into account the needs of the local community? Is it possible to strike a balance between the commodification of territories and the resilience of places?
The call made by the event’s participants was to try to develop responsible approaches to promoting these traditions, placing communities, cultural heritage, respect for ritual timelines and an understanding of the meanings behind the masks at the centre. Tourism, if well managed, could facilitate the informed transmission of traditions and provide a further opportunity to learn about and share local distinctiveness. The risk to be avoided, however, is the sensationalisation and commodification of rituals for the sake of adapting to market demands.
The debate, moderated by Giuseppe Fedele of the Tricarico Pro Loco, presented various perspectives through which to begin a reflection on the relationship between cultural heritage and tourism. The round-table discussion opened with a presentation by Vita Santoro, an anthropologist and Unibas coordinator of the European MASKS project. Drawing on the concepts of ‘heritage’, ‘preservation’ and ‘tourism’, the project offered a framework through which to explore the debate’s theme, linking the semiotic language of masks to the craftsmanship involved in their creation; knowledge and expertise which, outside the context of festivals, can be harnessed to benefit the service sector. Speeches were given by: Marina Berardi, anthropologist and photographer; Gaetano Armenio of the publishing house “L’Immagine” and communications manager for the MASKS project; Antonio Di Biase of the Nuova Atlantide Cooperative; Donatello Caivano, manager of the tourist attraction “Il volo dell’angelo”; Leo Montemurro, president of CNA Matera and Italian partner of the MASKS project; Lorenzo Scaraggi, journalist and documentary filmmaker; and Federico Santangelo, journalist. The debate was concluded by Paolo Paradiso, mayor of Tricarico.
Website: https://www.prolocotricarico.it/rima-2026/
