Touristification, Gentrification, and Urban Identity in the Historic Centre of Rome

This chapter focuses on the theme of gentrification linked to the touristification of the historic centre of Rome (Italy) and on the impact of these phenomena on place identity. The first part of the chapter retraces the concepts of touristification, overtourism, and gentrification. The chapter presents the case study of Rome, to then focus on the analysis of the historic centre of Rome. Non-participant observation was conducted, from 26 October 2021 to 8 January 2022, in the area including Piazza Navona-Pantheon-Trevi Fountain. 33 key players were interviewed as “voices” of the territory: institutional representatives, representatives of local associations, representatives of the Catholic Church, and of the cultural sector. In the last part of the chapter, the results of the empirical research are presented and discussed. A focus is dedicated to local policies that should be implemented to enhance the city of Rome and its heritage, while ensuring the sustainability of tourist impacts.