St. Efisio di Elia. When Religious Tourism Defies Commodification

The role of culture and knowledge in today’s tourism discourse is originating a comeback to traditions, to educational and religious contents. (Leed 1992, Nigro 2006, Di Giovine 2010). Cultural tourism emerges in the perspective of authenticity (MacCannell, 1989), and of the retrieval of peoples’ own historical, religious and artistic roots. The present paper seeks to present the most famous religious Festival in Sardinia, dedicated to St. Efisio of Elia, in the light of the ‘development paradigm’ and ‘revitalization’ approaches (Di Giovine 2009; 2010). Such approaches emphasize the role that a tourist religious site or destination plays in maintaining traditions throughout the years while at the same time seeking transformation and economic betterment. Within this paradigm, one cannot fail to consider that semiotics and marketing, if synergically considered, are fundamental in building and managing a coherent and consistent project of identity, highlighting the basic values underlying tourist religious discourse and manifestations. Therefore the present paper will try to point out how the new concepts of cultural and religious tourism and semiotic constructions, all contributing to the design of a single and coherent ‘politics of place’ (Bremer 2006; Fodde 2011; Fodde forthcoming) are addressed by tourist enterprises and institutions to promote a single event or destination.