“A country without services is not a country, it is a pile of houses.” Angelo Cervo, deputy mayor of Alvito, a small municipality of 2,500 inhabitants in the province of Frosinone, explains that they are post offices, the presence of an ATM, the possibility of taking care without having to undertake travels of kilometers and kilometers, school classrooms to keep a community alive and prevent depopulation. In an enchantment landscape, but lost, the XIX Catholic information forum for the custody of creation, addresses the theme of the protection of territories and the Pescasseroli Charter. Signed in 2023, on the occasion of the one hundred years of the institution of the Abruzzo National Park, the ethical text called the “guidelines for environmental awareness in the journalistic profession” and is based on four pillars: accuracy, balance, proactivity and responsibility. He asks to avoid sensationalisms and also propose possible solutions. And it is in this perspective that journalists who arrived from almost all Italian regions, from 21 to 23 March, are confronting concrete problems, those of the mountain territories, to understand how to encourage the repopulation of these places. Thanks also to accurate information, capable of describing the resources and beauties of these territories, the opportunities, the quality of life and relationships. “We should try to understand to understand, on the one hand what are weaknesses,” explains Alfonso Cauuteruccio, president of Greenaccord, “on the other things I offer these territories and how to enhance their resources”.
During the meeting promoted by the Association, with the patronage of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Safety, of the Lazio Region and the Abruzzo Lazio Molise National Park, and with the partnership, among others, also of the Christian family, it was also underlined as common hypo cars in mountain areas are categorized as internal areas and disadvantaged due to the distance from the great services. The mayors find themselves managing problems that often do not fall within their skills, such as health and safety, due to the proximity to citizens. “Even if the electric current is missing, the citizen calls in the Municipality,” Cervi underlined. In addition, the Municipalities face, here more than elsewhere, criticism for the pennies. From safety to high grass, to public lighting, to health issues. Problems that, however, underlie a deeper social question that is that of solitude. Small municipalities struggle to maintain essential services such as schools, pharmacies and ATMs, facing continuous cuts. The lack of family doctors is a growing challenge. On the other hand, however, tourism grows, with external investors that see potential in biodiversity and landscape. Without basic services, however, tourism can also struggle to take off. “These places,” explained Monsignor Ambrogio Spreafico Bishop of Frosinone, Veroli, Ferentino and Anagni-Alatri, “are the suburbs of which Pope Francis often speaks, but also here we dream and plan the future. Being here as journalists means taking a conscience that is not only environmental, but also civil and relational, which helps us to consider these lands as places of relationship and construction of a fraternal world. Often in these small towns the relationships are direct, we all know each other, and in a world where everything is too virtual they become an example to imitate. For example, we think of the role of the elderly, in these countries they are treacherous treasure chests ». Above all, where, as Marco Bussone, President of Uncem (National Union of Common Communities Mountains), underlined, there are no young people and there are an important demographic crisis, the presence of the elderly must be enhanced. And at the same time, institutional systems must be reorganized to face demographic and environmental challenges. “The mountain areas,” Bussone recalled, “represent 67% of the Italian territory. For this reason, a new pact between territories is needed to strengthen concertation, reorganize institutional systems to be stronger and capable of attracting resources, taking an example from France and Germany ». Eco systems, water resources and forests should be enhanced, created the energy communities. In this regard, Patrick Maurelli, head of the Sun4u project, explained how “the energy community allows you to put the strength together and serve the entire resident community better. Just to facilitate all this we have created a free Sun4U app through which citizens can meet, make their skills available and thus create an energy community together ».
