1 INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY RICCIA: BORGO DEL BENESSERE An innovative hospitality formula to take care of the elderly while promoting real estate development of public assets. THE PROJECT The City of Riccia (Molise, Southern Italy) is committed to the implementation of an innovative tourist initiative in its historic centre, addressing the elderly with health and wellness options. The project consists in a widespread hospitality system (the Albergo Diffuso) offering specific para-medical services, health and wellness facilities supplementing traditional accommodations and residences. Social, cultural and entertainment facilities are included, while the area offers distinctive natural resources, significant environmental features and authentic traditions which provide a backdrop for a range of outdoor focused activities. The initiative aims at an alternative hospitality formula addressing an increasing target of tourists both in Italy and worldwide - people who escape from big cities and metropolitan areas longing for authentic experiences, human relationships and a real integration into the hosting community. The Albergo Diffuso ensures a "protected accommodation system while providing common spaces and leisure facilities where the elderly in need of rehabilitation and/or assistance are accommodated in high quality refurbished residences in the historic center. Moreover, the whole hospitality system has been conceived to accommodate family and friends of the guests and to offer relax and entertainment opportunities in order to enjoy the wide range of local resources.
2 LOCATION Accessibility Local resources Located in Molise, within the Valle del Fortore, the City of Riccia is strategically located between Foggia, Benevento and Campobasso. It is easily accessible by highway (A14 Bologna - Bari; A1 Milan - Rome - Naples; A16 Naples Barletta) and by railway (to and from Campobasso and Foggia). The nearest airports are Rome, Naples and Pescara while the main port is Termoli. The Valle del Fortore is still an unaltered area both with respect to its natural heritage and environmental resources and with respect to the tourist sector, not yet significantly developed. The distinctive environmental resources, the archaeological and architectural heritage, the traditional handicrafts, local food and traditions are strategic resources for the area. Their uniqueness compensate the lack of nationally and internationally renowned tourist attractions. The City of Riccia has one of the most characteristic historical centres. Standing on a rocky outcrop, it develops along a north-south axis and preserves interesting and high quality historical and architectural features. MAIN FEATURES OF THE PROJECT The pilot project of the Borgo del Benessere in Riccia has already been started thanks to a range of public funds (European Regional Development Fund, grants from the Italian Government, Regional Funds). The first phase of the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2014. The management will be started up in Spring 2015. The already-started interventions include: refurbishment of real estate properties in the historic centre of Riccia private properties to be acquired by the City in order to become tourist accommodations and health residences, offering the possibility to welcome and accommodate family and friends of the guests. Ten properties have been involved in the interventions, for about 40-50 beds. The standard accommodation consists of a ground and a first floor, dimensioned to accommodate up to four people with the highest comfort and the most appropriate accessibility. provision of facilities for the guests (offices, reception, common spaces, wellness centre, restaurant, movie theatre). redevelopment of public spaces serving the residences, including infrastructural works (common spaces and paving, main equipments and technological infrastructures) in order to better serve commercial activities to be started up. refurbishment of the Church of S. Maria delle Grazie, including exhibition spaces and conference rooms. starting up of activities supplementing the main physical interventions. Agreements have been activated to collaborate with institutional partners and private operators (Università della Terza Età, public authorities, cooperatives, artisans, etc.) in order to provide a wider range of facilities to exercise body and mind, while ensuring efficiency and environmental sustainability (project zero waste, urban waste disposal, lighting efficiency, wellness areas, etc.). The project will also ensure the opportunity for all the guests to garden close to their accommodations and residences.
3 RICCIA: BORGO DEL BENESSERE - Office/Reception -Common space - Restaurant SERVICE Area to be redeveloped to serve the residences Already financed interventions Buildings included in the investment opportunity Residences Old warehouse - Museum S. Maria delle Grazie Conference room to be converted into theatre Wellness area Medieval tower To exercise body - Gardens in publi City (no more tha residences); - Routes equippe innovative bio-en - equipped areas exercise; - Varied local food food, traditional h - Partnership with and local cultural permanent cultur - Movie Theatre; - Professional trai To increase empl - Start up of youth and social enterp businesses provid enhancement of t - Partnership with training activities initiative. To bring people t without distortin - New planning co order not to allow architectural natu - Improvement of with the most mo efficiency. To provide high q - Innovative zero the door-to-door and the existing a companies will be innovative dispos contribute to mak terms of waste co - Special measure
4 INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY The City of Riccia promotes the redevelopment initiative for its heritage and real estate assets as briefly described a best practice among redevelopment projects of Italian borghi. The City is interested in finding possible partners undertaking the management of the Borgo del Benessere and implementing the second phase of the project, that is to restore further buildings in the historic centre in the historic center to make them part of the already-implemented hospitality system. The main goal is to achieve a 100-bed Albergo Diffuso which is the optimum condition for a sustainable management as well as for a real investment profitability. The implementation of the second phase demands approximately 1.5 to 2 million euro made available by the possible partners. Multiple advantages exist for private investors interested in participating in the project : The possibility to benefit from residences, services, common spaces and infrastructure included in the project and already financed and refurbished (public spaces, reception and common areas, sport and leisure spaces, gardens and wellness routes, a small theatre, a church, social and health care facilities, etc.); The possibility to immediately acquire real estate assets for residential and tourist accommodation as selected by the City on the basis of specific procedures; Highly favourable acquisition costs for the real estate properties to be restored. The possibility to participate in further projects the City is committed to start up thanks to financial resources from the 2014-2020 Europe programming period; The City is available to jointly evaluate with the involved stakeholders possible public-private partnerships - when they positively affect the success of the initiative and the investment profitability for the private sector.
5 ALBERGO DIFFUSO An innovative Made in Italy approach to the redevelopment of Italian Borghi The redevelopment strategy proposed for Riccia as Borgo del Benessere is based on the implementation of an innovative widespread reception and hospitality system the Albergo Diffuso. This strategy is an example of the widespread hospitality in the Borgo a general category of initiatives which has widely spread throughout Molise in the last few years. The many existing borghi and historic towns, the important heritage and the intangible assets all these elements represent the main condition to implement hospitality projects and new tourist residential developments aiming at providing "temporary residents" with an authentic stay and an incomparable travel experience a full immersion in the culture and the traditions of a place. Main features of the Albergo Diffuso 1. Hotel-like accommodation without an hotel-like building 2. Unitary entrepreneurial management 3. Located in the historic centre 4. Host community still residing the borgo cannot be abandoned 5. Common spaces and facilities for the guests 6. Reasonable distance between residences and common spaces 7. Authentic and typical furnishing and restoration techniques 8. High quality standard (comparable to a three-stars hotel and more) 9. Local food and strong connection with the regional culinary tradition 10. Integration of tourists or temporary residents in the region and its culture
6 CONTACT INFORMATION BORGHI SRL INIZIATIVE DI SVILUPPO LOCALE Headquarters: Via Piave, 10 71100 Foggia Italy Rome Office: Viale Tiziano, 80 00196 Roma Italy Phone: +39.06.80687860 Fax: +39.06.80687662 Web site: www.iborghisrl.it E-mail contact: info@iborghisrl.it Michele Esposto: esposto@iborghisrl.it Francesco Quagliuolo: quagliuolo@iborghisrl.it CITY OF RICCIA Via Zaburri, 3 86016 Riccia (CB) Italy Phone: +39.334.6747172 / +39.0874.716216 Fax: +39.0874.716513 Web site: www.comune.riccia.cb.it E-mail contact: comune.ricciacb@legalmail.it Micaela Fanelli (Mayor): micaela.fanelli@virgilio.it Alfonsino Moffa (Planning Division Manager): urbanistica@comunediriccia.it