Sustainability and Cultural Identity: A Textual Analysis of Perceptions of the Zungri Rupestrian Site

Cultural tourism is currently positioned at the intersection of experiential consumption, identity construction, and territorial governance processes. This study contributes to this debate by analysing the role of cultural heritage as a lever for sustainable development in complex and peripheral territorial contexts, typical of Italian Mezzogiorno. To this end, the Zungri rupestrian complex (“Città di pietra”, Stone City) in Calabria is examined: a medieval site of exceptional archaeological interest (8th-12th cent.) which, despite its inestimable potential, operates as an emerging destination characterised by significant infrastructural and geological vulnerabilities. The primary objective of this research is to analyse how the identity and historical memory of the site are perceived, interpreted, and co-created by stakeholders and visitors. Methodologically, the study employs qualitative textual analysis applied to a corpus of online data relating to perceptions of the site. The results highlight a strong discrepancy between the high perceived symbolic and emotional value (linked to authenticity and spirituality) and the critical issues related to site accessibility and management. The Zungri case thus configures itself as a heritage-making laboratory, underlining the urgent need for integrated strategies of protection, accessibility, and participatory governance, necessary to transform the rupestrian heritage into a credible resource for deseasonalisation and sustainable local development.