‘Riviera del Gigante’ CER Born in Abruzzo: Sustainable Tourism and

‘Riviera del Gigante’ CER Born in Abruzzo: Sustainable Tourism and Funds for Local Culture

On the Teramo coast a new Renewable Energy Community (CER) called Riviera del Gigante has been established by 14 coastal tourism operators from Alba Adriatica, Tortoreto and Martinsicuro. The initiative aims to create a local network for producing and sharing renewable energy with direct social and cultural benefits for the area.

The project builds on the Riviera del Gigante tourism brand — an earlier collaboration among seven municipalities in the province of Teramo — and is led by the tourism operators with the intent to involve businesses, local administrations, residents and visitors in a shared energy model.

• Participants: 14 tourism operators from the three coastal towns.
• Objective: to share energy produced from renewable sources and improve local energy efficiency.
• Cultural and social allocation: 15% of generated funds will be directed to social projects and another 15% to cultural initiatives.
• Open model: the CER is designed as an open community, with plans to broaden participation to citizens and other local stakeholders.

Promoters say that allocating resources to culture is intended to strengthen local identity: funds may support festivals, heritage enhancement projects, educational activities and cultural programming tied to the tourism season. Municipal administrations of Alba Adriatica, Tortoreto and Martinsicuro have given their support to the initiative.

The Riviera del Gigante CER is an example of how the tourism sector can play an active role in the energy transition while fostering cultural regeneration — combining environmental sustainability with investment in social and cultural capital.