Turning industry into a tourism product: how Prato is reimagining its textile heritage as a sustainable tourism asset

Two workers operate in a factory where fabrics are processed and finished, walking across one of the units of the former Cimatoria Campolmi dedicated to dyeing textile materials. The factory is bustling but what we see through Meta Quest visors is just a virtual reconstruction of a typical scene in what was once the Campolmi factory, the only large nineteenth-century production complex still existing within the walls of Prato that now houses the Lazzerini public library and the Textile Museum. By simply wearing the headset, visitors are transported into the daily life of one of Prato’s most renowned textile factories and iconic industrial buildings.

This journey through time is just an example of the potential of artificial intelligence and virtual reality, technologies that Prato intends to harness through the EPIC project, aimed at strengthening the city’s manufacturing heritage and promoting it as a tourism asset by creating innovative experiences for both tourists and locals.

Image

Making industrial tourism an attraction for all

Situated in the heart of Tuscany, that is among the main drivers of the tourism sector in Italy (third region per number of arrivals with 17,8 million visitors in 2024, but first region in total tourism spending with 19 billion euros), Prato faces the challenge of diversifying its tourism offer. This element is decisive not only to remain competitive with similar medium-sized destinations in Central Italy having similar architectonic or historical attractions like Medieval and Renaissance buildings or churches, but also to adapt to the evolving expectations of different types of visitors.

While cultural tourism remains the main driver for attracting tourists to this part of the region, since the pandemic Prato has turned its focus towards proximity tourism. The city is spotlighting its textile industrial heritage, which still plays a considerable role in the local economy. The legacy is reflected in numerous sites across the city, with former factories (designed also by famous architects like Pier Luigi Nervi), that have been repurposed for civic uses, such as the Campolmi factory, or others still in operation.

More than just being a factor of economic growth, the textile industry in Prato is a cornerstone of the local identity. With the first traces of textile production in the city dating back to the 12^th century, Prato enjoys a continuity in textile manufacturing that is unique in Europe. However, it was just in the 19^th century that the city became a hub for importing rags and textile waste to produce regenerated wool, which made wool garments affordable to the lower classes.

Today, with more than 2,500 companies active in the textile sector, Prato is often seen merely as an industrial zone. However, what in the past was considered as a weak point in terms of tourism promotion is now a strength. The textile sector of Prato can be considered as a touristic and cultural resource because of its emphasis on recycled wool production which aligns with contemporary themes such as sustainability and circular economy. The growing interest by different types of publics on the reuse of textile materials through sustainable methods of production led to the launch of the first guided factory tours in 2021, mainly attended by local and regional visitors. These tours combined heritage and innovation to rediscover and promote Prato’s industrial past in an innovative way.

This momentum culminated in the development of TIPO – Industrial Tourism Prato, an initiative that paved the ground to systematize the industrial tourism offer of the city and to organize a series of guided tours of historic factories, offering visitors interesting insights into techniques for recycling wool and producing new fibres still in use today.

Image

Turning this vibrant productive sector into a potential attraction for tourists posed a series of challenges which were tackled through the dialogue with the owners of the factories and the other stakeholders of the tourism sector. The visit to productive plants presented some problems in terms of visitor safety and protection of industrial secrets, but the initial scepticism by factory owners was overcome while the idea gradually gained traction, with a growing number of businesses willing to open their doors to the public.

The organization of the annual TIPO Festival, held each spring for the past three years, was also an opportunity for reflecting on the potential of this particular type of industrial tourism and to showcase pop-up exhibits and temporary shops of knitwear made from locally produced textile fibres, particularly appreciated by both residents and tourists.    

Targeting the needs of visitors for improving the tourism offer

According to research conducted by Fondazione Sistema Toscana, one of the partners of the EPIC project which collaborated with Visit Tuscany for the creation of a basic itinerary across textile factories in Prato, the typical visitor interested in Prato’s industrial heritage is over 40 years old, lives in Northern Italy, is well-educated and is curious to discover the city beyond the traditional tourist trails.

“Industrial tourism is a part of the city’s identity. Our factories now open even on the weekends with guided tours that are often led by younger generations of factory owners, who are proud to showcase their family histories and the production techniques, things that are giving wider visibility to their textile products. While at the beginning the owners of the companies had to be convinced to take part in similar initiatives, now many companies are reaching out to the Municipality for joining the initiative. This element is fundamental for extending this model also to other productions in neighbouring municipalities such as Signa which is known for straw hat production” explains Chiara Bartalini, Prato’s Deputy Mayor for Tourism.

Image

The creation of the Destination Management Organization (DMO) of Prato is one of the key milestones of the EPIC project. The DMO will integrate and coordinate the different types of tourism products (including, but not only, industrial tourism) available in the city and its functional area, but will also support the development of new tours, like those launched this year during the Chinese New Year celebrations in the Macrolotto district of the city, an area heavily involved in garment production.

Connecting different parts of the local community through tourism is an additional way to celebrate the identity of the city, but also provides a platform to test innovative tourism products.

The identification of potential targets of visitors, niche groups like fashion and design students, is accompanied by efforts to develop new services and routes through the hidden industrial treasures of the city. These tours will be created in the framework of the EPIC project and promoted to different categories of tourists via travel agencies and tour operators but also through the development of targeted social media campaigns, with the involvement of influencers specialized in tourism and sustainable textile productions. 

Towards a never-ending tourism concept

The action of the EPIC project is part of a broader rethinking of Prato’s textile sector, which is currently navigating multiple crises, from global trade uncertainty to the prolonged slowdown of the luxury sector (whose brands are among the main buyers of the textile products produced in Prato).

Transforming factories into tourism attractions can contribute to enhancing the visibility of Prato as a travel destination, but it can be crucial also for the diversification of the local economy. The development of innovative tour experiences will also pave the ground for addressing other major challenges that affect the tourism sector in Prato, such as the lack of hotel infrastructures and the scarcity of itineraries for visitors willing to stay in the city for more than 24 hours.

Image

The use of AI-powered virtual reality solutions, that will be available in specific immersive access points (rooms and corners) to be installed in different locations of the city, will be crucial for enhancing the experiential dimension of tourism which can stimulate emotional connection with the visitors and an enjoyable experience that begins before and extends beyond their visit to Prato.

“Virtualizing the experience of the visit to Prato’s textile factories allows people not only to become familiar with it before their onsite visit. They can witness the production processes, relive the experience afterwards and keep vivid memories, creating new ways to interact with our local craftsmanship and identity” says Deputy Mayor for Tourism Chiara Bartalini.