Public policy and port development: the Italian case

The peninsula and island coasts of Italy cover about 7500 km and 146 commercial ports, and about the same number of public and private tourist ports are distributed along them. The former are visited annually by about 700 000 ships which carry nearly 400 million tons of goods and 50 million passengers. On the basis of commercial, functional and administrative parameters these ports can be divided into various categories. The medium and large ports are examined in this contribution showing the extent and tendency of changes caused by the evolution of maritime traffic (the return of coastal traffic for short and medium distances) and by the advent of new transport technologies (containers and other cargo-carrying units). The main intention is to verify the economic prospects that influence their survival and their possible development. The Mediterranean and Community context is also considered.