Fondazione Romualdo Del Bianco – Life Beyond Tourism

The Romualdo Del Bianco® Foundation was established shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, stemming from Paolo Del Bianco’s initial insight as a hotel entrepreneur. He recognized the need to foster mutual understanding among Central and Eastern European countries through contact with the West and its attractions. Since then, the Foundation has organized meetings in Florence for young people from these countries, totaling over 150,000 days. This initiative has expanded to include 500 institutions from 111 countries across five continents, forming a robust international network.

Over the years, the Foundation has grown to understand that promoting mutual knowledge is the true essence of hospitality, where a place welcomes its visitors. This realization led to the Foundation’s evolution from a non-profit organization dedicated to intercultural dialogue to an advocate of cultural heritage as a potential tool for dialogue. This involves not just preserving and enhancing heritage but ensuring its accessibility for mutual understanding and respect for diversity. This shift redefined tourism (especially mass tourism) from a “threat” to cultural heritage—when seen merely as services and consumption—to a strategic opportunity for intercultural dialogue.

The Foundation’s journey culminated in the Life Beyond Tourism® ethos and its website, which serves as a virtual platform for interpreting and communicating cultural expressions. This includes cultural institutions and representative economic enterprises from various territories, with a focus on highlighting lesser-known areas. The platform facilitates the exchange of experiences and best practices, aiming to replace the concept of ‘tourism’ with ‘travel to dialogue’.

Life Beyond Tourism® Ethos

The Foundation and its international network believe that Florence, and Italy as a whole—being prime tourist destinations—can send a powerful message about dialogue and a robust economy. This economy should not be based merely on services and consumption but on travel that introduces travelers to the appreciation of cultural diversity in a world approaching ten billion inhabitants.

A certification system for Life Beyond Tourism® has been established, certifying travel programs and destinations that effectively introduce the ‘cultural personality‘ of places, thus promoting dialogue between cultures.

The Foundation, by reviving and enhancing Florence’s fertile tradition of openness and reception towards other cultures, offers the city a significant channel for international communication and exchange. This contributes to mutual respect in a rapidly globalizing world that is eroding the ‘cultural personalities’ of different territories, thereby impoverishing humanity. This global issue is of fundamental concern to UNESCO, with international initiatives like “Historic Urban Landscapes,” which are vital for a symbolic place like Florence.