The Italian city of Florence, which lives largely from tourism, is preparing for new visitors this summer. “Florence, but also the whole of Tuscany, can count on a state-of-the-art health system that has proved effective throughout the emergency,” said mayor Dario Nardella. “As early as this summer, we will also have health protocols to make our city liveable and safe again.”

Nardella spoke online at the International Mayors Forum on Tourism 2021 in Zhengzhou, China, this week. In his video message he called for a new and sustainable form of tourism after the corona pandemic.

“Tourism, before anything else, must be rethought and must be conceived in a sustainable way,” he said. “The crisis is offering us an opportunity to rethink traditional models and revolutionise them.”

Nardella mentioned the new online portal “Feel Florence” as a tool to promote a sustainable tourism. “Making tourism central for the economic recovery and also sustainable is an important objective for our city.”

Florence, “like all cities of art, has suffered greatly from the crisis caused by the coronavirus,” said Nardella. “But Florence, like so many other cities in our countries, is capable of profound renewal.”

Nardella expressed his hope for a return of tourists to Florence as early as this summer. “Soon we will be ready to welcome many visitors, lovers of culture and beauty, in places full of history like this one,” he said. “Michelangelo’s David, Ponte Vecchio, but also the extraordinary Uffizi Museum and many other places in the city are waiting to be visited and appreciated by the world again.”

Watch the speech (in Italian)

Photo of Florence: Mark Boss on Unsplash