Arezza - Knowledge Tourism

 Travel Planning and Destination Management in the United States and Italy

The Knowledge Tourism concept brings together local customs, values, and traditions with expertise in a variety of disciplines to learn, experience and expand knowledge of the territory in a holistic program that addresses:

Community histories that take-into-account the shaping of economic development projects

Geography and historic trade routes that consider river, lake and coastal navigation, highways, wagon trails and rail routes to ensure sustainability and resilience.

Industry Commerce Agriculture and Sustainability

Places transitioning from traditional industrial and commercial activities to technologically innovative ones; in some instances, they are also able to re-establish their traditional economic activities with a successful application of the so-called knowledge economy and, in the process, becoming once again competitive in the world marketplace;

Best Experienced in the Company of Local Friends and Experts

Tourism is one of the largest industries in the world economy right up there with real estate, autos, and financial services. It is also highly segmented: business travel, meetings, cruises, family vacations, food, and wine travel, responsible, sustainable, ethical, and more.

Cultural Tourism assumes uniquely local dimensions wherever you go; the activities that you, the local or global visitor, select and, irrespective of the length of your stay, are unique of the community you are visiting and rooted into the local economy, culture and traditions.

Knowledge Tourism Means Doing and Going Where the Locals Go

The Environment the importance to a community of environmental issues and practices like energy efficiency and water conservation cannot be underestimated, especially if tourism is an important contributor to the local economy.

Educated Travelers select destinations primarily on-the-basis of cultural, gastronomic, wellness and similar preferences; increasingly, they expect that the places they visit reflect their values on key issues like recycling practices, air and water quality, as well as the availability and quality of public transit.

Business Travelers require efficient plans to meet trip objectives. This may entail visiting several locations in a compressed period-of-time to seek investment and sales opportunities. They look to Main Streets shopping and entertainment venues, Historic Districts and other community neighborhoods that have or plan to put in place energy savings measures as well as other environmental safeguards that help reduce the cost of doing business in that local area.

A Successful Destination is defined as one that develops projects built around existing facilities that need upgrading and/or expansion to manage tourism flows and local production capabilities to enhance community offerings.

Communities as Anchors for Local and Regional Travel

Cultural Anchors Museums, Theaters and other Historic Buildings located on Main Street and in Historic Districts are repositories of a community’s values and traditions. Each Local Project integrates architecture with digital media and engages visitors through interaction with local citizens.

The best way to travel is in the company of people who live and work in the places you visit

The Annapolis Maryland Historic District

The capital of the State of Maryland is an example of an attempt to create a European style urban environment in a North American setting by use of a modified baroque plan. Departing from the grid pattern characteristic of many American towns, the planners adopted a modified baroque plan, first applied by French baroque designers in garden layout, as at Versailles. This influence soon spread to England and was adapted by Christopher Wren and John Evelyn for the rebuilding of London after the 1666 fire. In the accepted planning practice of this style, the highest and most commanding locations were reserved for the State House and church.

Annapolis developed in harmony with the original plan of 1695 to emerge in the mid-eighteenth century as the focal point of Maryland government, politics, commerce and as a center of wealth and culture.

The basic features of that early city have survived to the present and provide the boundaries for the historic district. Some streets within Old Town have been widened and a few street names have been altered, but the original plan is little changed. In addition to the many outstanding individual examples of high Georgian design, scores of two and three-story buildings line streets such as Cornhill, Market, and Conduit. None are distinguished in design or detail, but all are harmonious in scale and materials.

the planners separated residential and official areas from artisan commercial, and port activities

Location in 1695, under the direction of Royal Governor Sir Francis Nicholson, the capital of the colony of Maryland was transferred from its original location, St. Mary's, to a more central and accessible spot on a peninsula between the present Spa and College Creeks at the mouth of the Severn River. The site of the new capital, then denominated Anne Arundel Town, had been sparsely settled since the mid-seventeenth century. Befitting the seat of royal power in absentia the colonial government determined to plan and survey a new town of about 100 acres, which was soon enlarged to over 140 acres. The town, renamed Annapolis to honor Princess - later Queen - Anne, was incorporated in 1696.

The District is home to many notable 18^th century structures. Among them are the William Reynolds Tavern at Church Circle, McDowell Hall and the Charles Carroll-Barrister Birthplace on the Saint John's College Campus, the John Rideout House on Duke of Gloucester Street, the Peggy Stewart House on Hanover Street. The area between Franklin, Northwest, Calvert, Larkin and Shaw Streets contains twenty-five 18^th century buildings. Commercial fronts hide the antiquity of 16 early Annapolis buildings along West Street between Church Circle and the intersection of West, Calvert, and Cathedral Streets. To the west of this is Acton, a Palladian mansion completed in 1762 for Philip Hammond, slightly outside the original town limits. This house is noteworthy for its unusual design, the facade facing Acton Place being composed of two pavilion motifs flanking a slightly recessed single center bay, the reverse of the usual arrangement.

The State House on State Circle is a National Historic Landmark. Begun in 1772 and completed in 1784, it was the meeting place of the Continental Congress, 1783-84. It was here that George Washington resigned his commission as commander of the American armies, December 23, 1783, and Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris, formally ending the Revolutionary War on January 14, 1784. This Georgian public building is capped by a 150-foot wooden dome which was completed in 1793 and is the prototype of many subsequent state house domes.

Kingston New York

Industry and Commerce along the Delaware Canal and Hudson River              

Located 91 miles (146 km) north of New York City, Kingston was New York's first capital in 1777; in the 19^th century, the city was a transport hub, with rail and canal connections. The city has three historic districts: Stockade, the Midtown Broadway Corridor, and Rondout West Strand downtown.

Kingston Landing is a short navigable distance from the Hudson River and the point of reference for coal shipments and bluestone via the Delaware and Hudson Canal.

Kingston Albany and New York City were the three major Dutch Settlements on the Hudson River

In the early 1800s, four sloops plied the river from Kingston to New York. By 1829, steamers made the trip to Manhattan in a little over twelve hours, usually travelling by night.

The Hudson River Maritime Museum is located at 50 Rondout Landing at the foot of Broadway along the old waterfront. Its collections are devoted to the history of shipping and industry on the Hudson. In the early 1800s, four sloops plied the river from Kingston to New York. By 1829, steamers made the trip to Manhattan in a little over twelve hours, usually travelling by night.

Industry and Commerce the Delaware and Hudson Canal brought an influx of laborers to manage the coal terminal and the Newark Lime and Cement Company shipped cement throughout the United States. Also, large warehouses of ice sat beside the Hudson River from which the ice was cut during the winter and preserved all year to be used in early refrigeration. Large brick making factories were also located close to this shipping hub. Rondout's central location as a shipping hub ended with the advent of railroads.

The Rondout neighborhood is known for its artists' community and its numerous art galleries

Transit Kingston CitiBus provides service within the city and to Port Ewen and commuter service is available by bus to New York City. Amtrak Rail Terminals are located 11 miles (20 km) and 17 miles (30 km) away in Poughkeepsie. Stewart International Airport is 39 miles (62.8 km) south in Newburgh. Weekend water taxi service between Kingston and Rhinecliff. The Catskill Mountain Railroad, a scenic railroad company, runs trains from Kingston. Ongoing projects connect Kingston's three neighborhoods with a combination of rail trails, bike lanes and complete streets connections.