Intelligent tourism in Barga - Interview with Chris Bell - painter

http://www.barganews.com/2013/09/12/intelligent-tourism-the-future-for-this-area/ This afternoon braving the odd shower could be found a group of people of widely differing ages and by the sound of their accents, from widely different places around the globe but all sharing one thought as they intently worked attempting to get down on the canvas the some of the light, colours and emotions that were laid out in front of them from the panoramic view across the mountains outside the Duomo.

There were there as part of the events run by Chris and Krysia Bell of Art Toscana who for more than a decade have been bringing people to Barga to paint and sharing their love of this area.

As you can hear in the short interview with Chris below, they are the front runners in a kind of “Intelligent Tourism” which many people now think is the future for this area. As industry as a whole and manufacturing industry definitely in the area gradually starts to wind down, the future is not so rosy but this kind of tourism could be one way of making sure that the recession can have a minimal effect of the life style and future prospects of residents of this valley.