Come join us for this month’s Open Meeting on Monday 10th March, at 7.15pm in the Castlefield Hotel.

“Canals in Europe: a glimpse beyond the UK” by Lisa Zecchin

This talk will focus on the canals in continental Europe looking particularly on the case studies of the Castilla Canal (Spain) and the Battaglia Canal (Italy) and also making some comparisons with the British canals (especially the Oxford Canal). The talk will focus on the how canal landscapes have evolved since the decline of inland navigation in 19^th century, the canals as cultural heritage and what is the current offer and competitiveness of canal tourism in the European market.

The speaker Lisa Zecchin is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Padova and Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy. Her PhD project focuses on the revitalisation of historic waterways in Europe, and the tourism use of canal landscapes as cultural and natural heritage.  She also collaborates with the Touring Club Italiano, the oldest national tourism organization in Italy. Prior to enrolling in the PhD program, she worked as a consultant for various tourism organisations.