Abstract
The paper examines both housing and social policies for the Roma and Sinti communities in Bolzano (South Tyrol, IT). The aim is to analyse the critical housing and social situation of both minorities in the so called campi nomadi (“nomad camps”). The paper is based on a qualitative research conducted in Bolzano (Italy), where a total of 20 semi-structured interviews were carried out. The results show that strategies in order to encourage positive interventions assume the construction of a new “pact” between the local community and the “new” minorities. The challenge is to overcome “traditional” measures in terms of emergency and to stimulate social cohesion at an educational, political and social level and to promote long-lasting development and long-term solutions.