A tale of three cities: Genoa, Turin and Milan. from Fordism to Tourism?

The paper focuses on three Italian cities that have experienced the transition from “Fordism to tourism”: Genoa, Turin and Milan. These three cities, after the industrial crisis, have invested in culture and tourism as alternative ways of development. To read this transition we adopt the theoretical framework of urban regimes, that promote different trends of urban development: 1. the city as a growth machine 2. the Fordist city 3. the creative city 4. the city as entertainment machine 5. the blue-green city. By adopting this theoretical framework, the evidence shows how academic institutions, tour operators and public authorities may or may not work together for the tourism development of their cities, now also considering the new panorama created by Covid-19.