The cycle network for ethical and sustainable tourism. Stormwater management in the mid-Adriatic region of Abruzzo

“Tourism has been comprehensively damaged” (Koščak, O'Rourke, 2021) from the COVID. And the mid-Adriatic region of Abruzzo was no exception: in 2020 there was “a decrease in the tourist movement in the region equal to -34.9% of arrivals” (CRESA, 2021). Nor could it be otherwise. COVID has radically questioned the main characteristic of the Adriatic “seaside metropolis” (Tondelli, 1990): its being intrinsically linked to the intensive use of public space, to the occurrence of a plurality of gatherings, both outdoors on the coast and indoors in private places, and to organizing demonstrations and events where crowds were the rule. A state of affairs that contrasts with the rules established during the pandemic to stem the spread of the virus. Especially with reference to “the anguish generated by the intrinsic characteristics of the virus. It cannot be found due to material nonexistence; but it is there. Covid-19 is not a determined object from which one can defend against: it is invisible but present. This means that it can be anywhere. A lethal atopy that can lurk everywhere. And potentially in anyone who crosses the city” (Clemente, 2020). However, amid the negative news, there are also signs of a revival that go in the direction of sustainability.