Tourism as an “Engine” of Modernization in Venezia Giulia during the First Years of the Italian Administration

The paper’s aim is to discuss whether tourism acted as an engine of modernization in rural areas. It focuses on the case of the south-eastern part of the Italian province of Venezia Giulia, namely the Istria (Pula/Pola) province. The territories assigned to Italy after the end of the First World War, especially the rural areas, were mainly underdeveloped. Within the modernization process and build of infrastructure, the Italian state also recognized tourism as a possible booster of growth and progress.