2024 has been designated as the year of Roots Tourism in Italy, a concept that seeks to bridge the gap between Italians abroad and their ancestral lands. Unlike traditional tourists, roots tourists are motivated by a desire to connect with their origins, immerse themselves in the local culture, and possibly even reclaim or purchase ancestral homes, much like Francis Ford Coppola did in Bernalda, Basilicata.

Indeed, Basilicata passionately embraced the Roots Tourism initiative, as demonstrated by the central role of Matera in Roots-In, an international trade event dedicated to ancestry tourism, which the town hosted for two years in a row, in 2022 and 2023.