July 3, 2025 marked a moment of intense debate for the future of Italy’s internal areas. The new National Strategic Plan for Internal Areas (PSNAI 2021-2027), just made public, sparked immediate and heated reactions among industry insiders, particularly in the world of tourism. The question that rings out, loud and clear, is: “Should we disappear?”
The Critical Vision of Danilo Beltrante: “Is This the Government’s Vision?”
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Danilo Beltrante, director of the Vivere di Turismo Festival and citizen of Supersano, a village in the heart of Salento, is the spokesperson for a widespread dissent. Beltrante expresses clear opposition to a vision that, in his words, “with cold statistical calculation, imagines that a good part of the 4000 municipalities of the 'Internal Areas' are destined for abandonment.”
His words leave no room for interpretation: "Should we disappear? Is this what the Government is telling us with its 'technical' vision of small villages?" A reflection that raises crucial questions about the fate of thousands of communities that, despite demographic challenges, preserve the profound identity and cultural heritage of our country.
“This is not a nostalgic battle. This is a battle for humanity.”
Beltrante's position is shared and reinforced by Ivan Stomeo, former mayor of Melpignano and former president of the national association Borghi Autentici d'Italia, now head of the Futurae Ets Foundation. Stomeo, in an open letter published on the Vivere di Turismo Festival website, expressed deep doubts about objective 4 of the government decree. This objective, in fact, would seem to suggest that internal areas should be "accompanied on a path of chronic decline and aging in order to make it socially dignified for those who still live there."
According to Stomeo, such a statement “is tantamount to surrender,” a concept echoed by Beltrante who adds: “As if it wasn’t even worth trying.” Both emphasize that the issue goes far beyond numbers and economic statistics. “Numbers are useful, of course. But choices are made by people,” Beltrante points out.
The criticism is aimed at those who, in 2025, continue to measure the value of territories solely on the basis of their “economic competitiveness.” Beltrante concludes with a stern warning: “Because the inhuman choices of the present are leading us towards a world unlivable for everyone, not just for those who remain.” This is a battle for humanity, not a nostalgic battle.
“Hospitable Citizens”: The future of internal areas in the life of Tourism Festival
As the debate over PSNAI intensifies, the Vivere di Turismo community, which has about 15 members across Italy, is preparing for its annual event. The third edition of the festival will be held in November in Rimini, and this year it will be dedicated to “Hospitable Citizens.”
This initiative aims to explore and promote new forms of tourism and hospitality, placing the active role of local communities at the center. It is a strong signal: despite the political visions that seem to decree abandonment, the internal areas are more alive than ever, ready to reinvent themselves and demonstrate their inestimable value.
