Country Focus

Italy is home to a variety of mountainous regions, including the Italian Alps, the Apennines, the Sardinian Highlands, and the Sicilian mountains. While many boast beautiful and diverse landscapes, a handful of these regions are considered marginalised, meaning that they face socio-economic disadvantages in comparison to other mountain areas. Although the degree of marginalisation can vary over time, affected mountainous regions largely include those located in Southern Italy, central parts of Sardinia, the Northern Alpine valleys, and the Apennine mountains.

Since the turn of the last century, there has been little doubt that to survive in fragile mountain territories, things had to be done together. But how has this way of managing goods and resources changed in recent times? The story of five young people and two mountain villages in Italy invites us to reflect on the role that the collective management of goods and resources can play today.