Heritage Communities, Participation and Co-creation of Cultural Values: The #iziTRAVELSicilia Project

The aim of this article is to present a large-scale regional project conducted in Sicily, #iziTRAVELSicilia, which consists of an online platform and app. My point of departure is an overview of the literature on the use of digital storytelling and Information and Communication Technologies for heritage promotion. I will then delve into the project itself, whose primary purpose was to use digital communication in order to enhance Sicilian cultural heritage, by involving more than 3,000 native Sicilians, forming ‘heritage communities’, and by developing more than 180 audio guides. I will argue that this project is a good example of participation in the co-creation of cultural values through the digital promotion and valorisation of heritage and territories, as articulated in the Faro Convention. The participatory co-creation of cultural content provides greater visibility of Sicilian cultural heritage, demonstrating the cultural values of the #iziTRAVELSicilia project itself. Finally, I will delineate izi.TRAVEL's role in encouraging people to promote their heritage through emotional and creative storytelling. © UNESCO 2018