Contact: Mrs Sabrina Ciancone

FCN members since: 2016

Profile: Social cohesion

Membership status: Active

http://www.fontecchio.gov.it/il-progetto-casabottega/

 [email protected]

Context

Fontecchio is a very small village of 350 inhabitants in central Italy. It was damaged by the 2009 earthquake and the small community has had to face physical and social reconstruction.
Local government, together with associations and facilitators declared a plan including:

• Civic education and citizen participation,
• Care for the landscape,
• Knowledge and use of cultural heritage for economic development, resettlement and social cohesion.

Description of Activity

The main initiatives, in line with the Faro Convention, are:

• Borghi attivi: a participation process that, since 2011, has involved the population in drawing up guidelines for the local development and aesthetics of the village.
• A participatory reconstruction plan: a plan of technical rules to restore private and public buildings was written by citizens, local authorities and universities.
• Casa & Bottega is a social housing and urban regeneration project that foresees a rental concession of small apartments to young families, together with handicraft shops, gardens to be cultivated and parts of public forests for pasture and wood . A community cooperative will manage all services linked to mobility, housing, production, e-commerce and care of the landscape.
• “Lo spazio della memoria” is a photographic museum and a multimedia station for prevention dedicated to the 2009 earthquake and located inside a medieval tower.
• “Ordine-caos-creatività” is a collective artwork created by children and families in the new school building.
• Social gardens are at the disposal of citizens.
• Some mountain paths were “adopted” by local associations and institutions.
• “Il volto dell’acqua” and “Chiedi alla terra” are participatory books on the main monument of the village and natural foods, written with schoolchildren and elderly inhabitants.
• A “water museum” was created to link places and activities based on river and fountains.
• A “river contract” was signed with many municipalities of the valley.
• 4 associations were born after the 2009 earthquake disaster.
• A contemporary artwork (Terzo Paradiso by M. Pistoletto) is going to be installed with citizens to keep the memory of the earthquake.