Sounds like an authentic tourist experience! Listening to tourism-led transformations in the atmosphere of a Southern Mediterranean city

In this chapter, I investigate the process of tourism-led urban transformation through the “lens” of the sonic environment. Focusing on a case study developed in Palermo, I explore the atmosphere of the traditional street markets located within the historical centre of the city, and I inquire the traders’ everyday cries and sales pitch. Called abbanniata in Palermo’s local dialect, this is a widespread practice in Mediterranean cities, performed by vendors to work the crowd and better sell their goods. Analysing the main findings from two research-creation projects realized in 2014 and 2018, I study the presence of abbanniata over the different markets; I then examine the way in which street cries change or tend to disappear over the years as the city is facing in the meantime a significant growth in tourist presence. What happens when tourism interferes in the fragile relations underpinning a distinctive atmosphere and sonic environment? To what extent such atmosphere can continue, under the impacts of tourism, to be attractive towards tourists? Seeking to answer these questions, I support the idea that sonic inquiry into urban atmosphere can meaningfully inform the urban policy response to some of the most detrimental impacts of tourism.