The geography of the Italian creative economy: the special role of the design and craft based industries

Through employment and firms' data the evolving structure of the Italian cultural economy is analysed, and diverging spatial and organizational patterns of cultural production systems in urban and regional areas are highlighted. Whilst large metropolitan areas remain the most important loci of the creative economy, craft-based sectors and creative systems of design have a tendency to locate in small and non-metropolitan centres. Based on the historical formation of manufacturing districts and the growing role of cultural production and consumption systems in urban spaces, the Italian creative economy provides an interesting case study to analyse the geographical patterns of cultural and creative industries. The previous literature on the geography of the creative and cultural economy is extended by offering through the Italian case new insights about idiosyncratic conditions in which cities and regions emerge as leading centres of cultural production and creativity.