The socio-economic dimension of ten European Capitals through the lens of destination@-branding.

The objective of this contribution -included in the media studies of a wider research program initiated by de Rosa in the 1980s- is to capture the “virtual brand image” of ten European historical Capitals cities through the analysis of the commercial websites Booking.com and TripWolf. The city destination through Internet has been considered not only as an object of perception but also, more comprehensively, as an object of social representation. The descriptive results highlight – among others - the socio-economic dimension of the ten European Capitals. Structural results valorise the historical capitals in the different characterizing dimensions, indicating the @- branding as an engine of development not only in the economic perspective, but also in that of identity. Pursuing policies aimed at "quality tourism" would contribute to reconciling economic development and social identity with the themes of social cohesion and relationship between host and hosted