EN: After Agrigento, IN-SITU Takes Root in Tunisia: Bab Souika, El Halfaouine, and Zaghouan at the Heart of the Multidisciplinary Residency

From 8 to 13 June 2026, the multidisciplinary residency of the IN-SITU project — Inclusive Social Innovation for the Tourism Development of Urban and Peri-Urban Heritage — took place across several Tunisian territories. Following the immersion phase in Agrigento, Sicily, the Italian project partners — UNIPA, MENO, and Essence of Sicily — crossed the Mediterranean, accompanied by their multidisciplinary experts and members of their respective steering committees, to experience firsthand the Tunisian project sites.

Alongside them, the Tunisian partners — ANIMED, the Faculty of Letters, Arts and Humanities of Manouba (FLAH Manouba), and the Ministry of Tourism — ensured local coordination and supported the implementation of this immersive week.

Bab Souika and El Halfaouine: a historic suburb at the beating heart of the Medina of Tunis, where daily life unfolds in the open air and every alley bears the imprint of a collective history that continues to evolve. For five days, experts walked alongside residents, explored their practices, observed their spaces, and listened to their stories — all amid the captivating aromas of steaming Lablabi and golden Banadhej, to the rhythm of Shan Tounsi music and reflective visits to the Zaouia of Sidi Mehrez, a living sanctuary at the center of the neighborhood.

The residency then moved to Zaghouan, a city with a distinct character that offered a very different experience. Far from the bustle of the capital, the experts discovered a peaceful town deeply rooted in its traditions and proud of its culinary heritage. The delicate fragrance of Nesri roses and the sweetness of Kaak Warka served as guiding threads through a popular culture of remarkable richness.

This dual immersion gave rise to nuanced readings of the territories, locally grounded proposals, and new avenues for heritage enhancement, all driven by a shared conviction: genuine solutions emerge when people live and engage closely with communities.

This is precisely the IN-SITU methodology.

IN-SITU is co-funded by the European Union under the Interreg NEXT Italy–Tunisia 2021–2027 Programme.