In theory, the concept of ports as integral parts of complex regional economic systems has long been established. However, the practical acceptance of this principle, at least in Italy, is relatively recent and only in the last few years it has become the primary driver for planning economic-logistics systems at regional and supra-regional levels. What is certain is that the era of spontaneous growth for supply chains, corridors and logistics-production zones is over. A top-down approach rarely succeeds in the Italian context. The virtuous alternative lies in collaboration among the various stakeholders, whether or not there is public-sector coordination. This is also because utilizing short- and medium-range maritime routes for logistics is virtually the only option for a country that juts out into the sea and where islands account for one-sixth of the total land area.

Main topics:

• SLZ: from recognition of the status quo to a tool for planning and development
• Extended hinterlands: from concept to practice
• What happened to the distriparks for logistics operations?
• Import corridors and export corridors
• Motorways of the Sea: a success story
• The contribution of the maritime cluster to internal logistics