Italy

Maiella Madre Community: Pacentro

Pilot Leader: UNINA (Universita Degli Studi di Napoli Federico II)

The Maiella Madre Green Community was established by an agreement in line with ex art. 30 of the Single Text Law for Local Authorities (TUEL), involving the Municipalities (and their mayors) located in the territory entirely or partially within the Park, the President of the Abruzzo Region, the President of the Province of L’Aquila, the President of the Province of Chieti and the President of the Province of Pescara. In its geographical aspect, the Maiella is a mountain group of the Central Apennines, the most important after the Gran Sasso. The major challenges for this territory are depopulation, isolation and weak community services.

Challenges:

  • Avoid depopulation;
  • Create new job opportunities for young people;
  • Promote living labs for the many older adults;
  • Develop digital health services for the residents considering the geographical and logistic constraints, and the progressive foreclosure of hospital and local outpatients clinics.

Expected Results:

  • Participants gain essential skills to navigate green and digital transitions, particularly in the Habitat sector, fostering entrepreneurial mindsets aligned with circular economy principles.
  • Improved employability and economic resilience through targeted training programs addressing regional socio-economic challenges.
  • Enhanced community engagement, promoting collaboration between stakeholders, local authorities, and training institutions.
  • Effective assessment of usability, user experience, and quality of life improvements to ensure the NES training toolkit's scalability and long-term impact.
  • Establishment of a local living lab delivering:
    - Stronger social cohesion and intergenerational activities based on green, digital, and entrepreneurial skills.
    - NES training leveraged as a driver for societal innovation.
    - Increased participation of L'Aquila Health Care Unit in the Sunfrail+ national frailty prevention protocol.

Ambassadors

Antonio de Capite Mancini

I was born and raised in Pacentro (in the Province of L’Aquila, in the Abruzzo Region), a medieval village of the Central Appenines (a town of great migrations and, thanks to that, place of origin of the famous singer Madonna and the former Secretary of State of the USA, Mike Pompeo) and also a founding member of the Club of the Most Beautiful Towns of Italy (I Borghi più Belli d’Italia) and one of the largest municipalities to be part of the Maiella National Park, which is also a UNESCO Geopark.

I attended high school in Sulmona (Liceo Scientifico “Enrico Fermi”) and the University of Siena afterwards (Department of philology and critics of ancient and modern literatures) while also being a member of Villa Nazareth, the university college property of Secretariat of State of the Holy See. I’ve always been actively involved in local politics and I’ve been promoting the cooperation between smaller municipalities trying to campaign for national laws to promote a more coherent and coordinate discharge of functions from aggregations of municipalities getting together to guarantee basic services to the population. In the 2024 local election for the Mayor and the Council of my hometown I ran along the current Mayor of Pacentro, Giuseppe Silvestri, and got elected as Counsellor. I currently overlook the areas of Culture, School, Tourism, Institutional Relationships, National and European Fundings and the AUF (Urban Functional Area) of Sulmona on behalf of our Comune.

Why I support NES?

I sincerely support the NewEcoSmart project because of the solutions it provides for our local economy and its downsides, supporting local businesses and employees in enriching their skills and curricula while also providing great opportunities to acquire new skills and capabilities for entrepreneurs and artisans.
Ours are small communities dreaming big, who love and cherish their traditions and cultural heritage, and strive on a daily basis to keep on living in this rural and wonderful bits of the world.

Ciro Buonajuto

Born in Naples on November 9, 1977, is a lawyer qualified to practice before higher courts and has been the Mayor of Ercolano since 2015, re-elected in 2020 with 80% of the votes. He is the National Vice President of ANCI, with a mandate for security and legality, and the national spokesperson for Italia Viva.
In June 2022, he was invited by the U.S. Government as the only European Union mayor among six mayors selected worldwide for the “Summit for Democracy.” In 2017, he was selected for the IVLP program on “Accountability in Government” as the only EU politician among 18 under-40 leaders from around the world.
Previously, he held a prestigious role as Vice President of the Vesuvio National Park Authority. He has collaborated extensively with universities in Campania and is a member of the Rotary Club.

Why I support NES?

I strongly support the NewEcoSmart project because I believe that developing digital skills in our territory is essential for Ercolano to remain competitive in the job market and not fall behind in the face of innovation challenges. The digital transformation is reshaping professional and social opportunities, and it is crucial to provide citizens with the tools to navigate it successfully.
This project offers a concrete opportunity to spread key knowledge through dedicated training programs, with a particular focus on adults. Investing in education means not only creating new job opportunities but also facilitating the reintegration of those who have faced difficulties.
Ercolano must look to the future with ambition and determination, and initiatives like NewEcoSmart are vital for building a more inclusive, skilled, and forward-thinking community.

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    Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
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