The Summer Colonies

The new Millennium marked 50 years of mass tourism history in most of the western countries. The passage from the post world war II restricted social forms of tourism to the mass tourism is characterized by an evolution towards more individualized initiatives. During this half century, leisure time, more than other activities, has been conditioned by demographic changes which are now characterizing first of all, Italy, France, Spain with the lowest birth rate of the entire world. This factor combined with the decreasing of agricultural work force and high performances in industrial and technological production are strongly influencing the time and money spending. As reflection of these enormous changes we would hold up as an example one disappearing feature: the children holiday homes or summer kindergartens. This example synthesizes the passage from social to individual tourism, from assisted health stay to amusement stay. Public organisations are charged to provide public health, and when it was discovered, at the end of the XIX century, that thalassotherapy could prevent major adult diseases it was also recognised that this proactive sanitisation could cost less than lasting infirmities and assure a health lasting work force, local and national institutions provided to assure seaside resorts for children whose parents didn’t have the possibility to sustain a long residential holiday. A buoyant effort during the post first world war dictatorship in Italy has been dedicated to this sector as result of the need to assure health population able to dominate other countries. Now the improving styles on nutrition and living conditions can give children the entire range of vitamins and proteins they need. The social insurance give all the family the possibility to work less and to take holiday all together. This collegial forms of holidays are not entirely disappeared, but the are less dominant from the social, political and physical impact. Now huge buildings able to recover hundreds of children are abandoned with a strong physical impact on territory, involving planning managers into discussions about new destinations. The end of this era permits a discussion about the pros and contras of this organisations contextualized by the lived experiences of the author both as involved child, and later summer tutor, after having obtained the title of teacher.