Vascitour aims at promoting experiential stays in Naples, a form of tourism in which travelers focus on experiencing the city by connecting to its history, people and culture in an unusual way. The traveler gets in touch with locals, sleeping in a “vascio”, typical little house at street level, eating as a guest in someone else’s home, visiting areas which usually are not included in classic tours, and having locals as guides.
We interviewed the founders to know more about this project.
Where does the idea come from?
We met during a training startup course held in Naples at the University Contamination Lab and started to work on our idea of alternative tourism. Apart from being startuppers, we are travelers and we would like to create something in line with our idea of traveling. Not a traditional tourism but a way to understand more about the culture and history of a place trying to share in the locals’ everyday life. As Neapolitans, we thought about starting from the older and often neglected neighborhoods of our city with their fascinating “vicoli” (narrow alleys) and “vasci” (little houses at street level).
How is the team made up?
We are four members. We all love travelling and our hometown, Naples.
Achille and Anna have a degree in Communication, while Marianna and Ilaria have a degree in Design for Innovation.
What is your medium/long term goal?
We have two main goals. The first is to revitalize the local economy finding resident partners willing to create a business network (including homestays, shops, eating out and guided tours) and promote registered and quality services for our clients in a city often considered “a place where everything goes”. The second goal is exporting our experience to other cities building a specific brand for unconventional and socially responsible tourism.
Why a cooperative?
We chose a cooperative considering the internal (for us) and the external (for the local community) benefits of this kind of business. Internally, we, as members and workers, like the possibility of sharing responsibilities and growth opportunities on an equal basis. Externally, for the local community, we hope to have a positive social impact on it by promoting legality, employment and social inclusion, all key cooperative values.