Phygital Enjoyment of the Landscape: Walkability and Digital Valorisation of the Phlegraean Fields

The contemporary landscape is characterised by overlapping values and pressures, where ecosystem services and cultural spaces are used by diverse categories of users. In fragile contexts such as the Phlegraean Fields in Italy, the exponential growth of mass tourism has intensified the anthropogenic impacts, exacerbated by limited landscape awareness among local communities. Thus, walkability fosters direct exploration, while experiential transects provide a lens to read ecological, cultural, and perceptual layers of places. Together with digital storytelling, these approaches converge in a phygital approach that enriches physical experience without supplanting it. The study covered approximately 115 km of routes across five municipalities, combining road audits, an 11-item survey, participatory mapping, and ArcGIS StoryMaps. Results showed a structurally complex and functionally fragile mobility system: sidewalks are discontinuous, lighting insufficient, less than one quarter of the network is fully pedestrian, and cycling facilities are almost absent. At the same time, digital layers diversified routes and supported situated learning. By integrating geo-spatial analysis and phygital tools, the research demonstrates a replicable strategy to enhance the awareness and sustainable enjoyment of complex landscapes. The present research is part of the PNRR project Changes ‘PE5Changes_Spoke1-WP4-Historical Landscapes Traditions and Cultural Identities’.