Abstract
The constant decline in the population and its ageing, the lack of work and the disappearance of essential services are just some of the main trends describing mountain territories. Although these trends occur in a generalised way throughout the Alps, the Apennines and the islands, they do not manifest themselves homogeneously in all territories (CONVENTION OF THE ALPS 2015; CERSOSIMO ET AL. 2019; CARROSIO, FACCINI, 2019), and are the result of a combination of different factors. On the one hand, in a spatial dimension, related to the difficulties due to the specific orographic (REYNAUD ET AL, 2020) and climatic characteristics of mountain territories; on the other hand, in a perceptual dimension, inherent to the negative stereotype attributed to these areas long considered "residual" with respect to the processes of urbanisation and modernisation, and for this very reason reputed as "fragile" (DE ROSSI 2018). In addition to these factors, there is the absence of adequate multilevel (regional, national and European) unitary policies and strategies (BARCA 2011; OMIZZOLO, STREIFENDER 2013) capable of capturing the vocation of mountain territories throughout the country and of launching structured projects capable of (re)activating processes to enhance local resources. The prolonged lack of a shared emancipation design (BARCA 2018) with respect to these places left behind, the place that don´t matter (RODRIGEZ POSE 2018), has fuelled dynamics of rejection to diversity, in some cases of resistance to change, of scepticism towards institutions and scientific knowledge, which, in some cases, have translated into rural variants of new populism (CARROSIO 2020).
At the same time, these same dynamics are responsible for the preservation of territories with environmental characteristics of high and recognised value, guardians of biodiversity and unexpressed resources: natural, cultural, architectural and human. It is, therefore, that same 'peripheral' part of Italy that represents a reservoir of ideas, of good innovation practices and that has learned, or is learning, to look to the future (MARTINELLI 2020). This is the context in which the National Strategy for Inner Areas (SNAI) is set, which puts into practice the so-called place-based approach (BARCA 2009; BARCA 2011; MCCANN, RODRIGEZ POSE 2012), representing a concrete attempt to reverse the negative demographic trend in the country's inner areas through an innovative national policy that recognises precisely those territories that have long been marginalised as having a role of primary importance for the sustainable development of the entire country. The objective of the SNAI is to provide a new reading of the internal areas, overcoming the "dichotomies of common sense", and focusing attention and action starting from access to the fundamental rights of citizenship: education, health and mobility (BARCA 2018; CARROSIO, FACCINI 2018; LUCATELLI, TANTILLO 2018).
By attempting to apply a place-based approach, the research team tries to break and change the negative loop of depopulation and abandonment of these area, giving to the local community tools for the revitalization of their own territories thanks to the use of participatory approaches based on the empowerment of the local community and on a learning process. The aim is trying to activate a bottom-up process which wants to result in the elaboration of a strategic planning for the community developed by the community itself.
The contribution describes a specific case of study in the north east of the Alps (Trentino Region), Montagne Vitali: a path of development through the empowerment of local community started in 2019 and still ongoing. The project was created with the aim of tackling the abandonment, promoting the quality of life and sustainable development of the whole territory.
This participatory process allowed the researchers to actively involve the local population, administrators, and economic operators in the construction of a shared future vision of their territory. During the path, in the so-called visioning phase, the community was invited to imagine a desirable future for "The Mountains of 2040" and to define some strategies to achieve the desired and common scenario. This phase led to the identification of some macro themes considered relevant for the development of future projects: education, hospitality and art and culture.
Regarding the topic of hospitality, considered of fundamental importance by the community involved, researchers and participants developed a shared reflection, questioning and discussing the importance of a model that was not only aimed at enhancing the value of real estate, but also had a positive impact on the community in general. This is why the group of participants decided to talk about generative hospitality.
The community imagined a form of hospitality based on the redevelopment of unused structures, but also of common spatial resources, with a high quality of services and a way of operating in a network, to encourage cooperation between local resources, strengthen the individual parts of the system, and stimulate economic and employment induced in a sustainable way. The objectives are to: create a system of widespread hospitality to enhance the value of unused real estate (public and private), producing and sharing value with the community; rethinking common spatial resources; enhancing the town of Montagne; promoting the culture of hospitality; improving the quality of life of the community. The expected result of the project is not only to acquire new knowledge, but also to produce a change in the social context by raising the awareness of those involved about their personal and local resources, mobilizing them with a view to sustainable and long-lasting development, promoting the valorization of endogenous resources and synergy with exogenous factors.
The author will describe the methodological approach and discuss weaknesses and strengths, highlighted during the path. In the end, based on the case presented, the author want to emphasize on one side the importance of supporting mountain areas which are particularly dynamic and vibrant, on the other side the importance of adopting appropriate policies and tools to proactively overcome the specific disadvantages of mountainous environments and support real change. Indeed, similarly to the big cities, the most rural mountainous areas need policies and tools to build up an overall development perspective and establish priorities for medium- and long-term interventions.