Live and work in the mountains: this is the motto of a call for tenders in the northeastern Italian province of Friuli. Until the end of August 2023, those interested could apply for a free trial, staying overnight in one of seven participating villages: Comeglians, Resia, Resiutta, Savogna, Stregna, Tramonti di Sotto and Tramonti di Sopra. There are enough vacant flats and houses to rent or buy in these villages, all affected by emigration. If the first experience is positive, new residents enter into an agreement after moving into the accommodation: in return for the services they receive under the project, they agree to make an annual contribution of voluntary work to one of the partner organisations in the area. The idea for the project came from the “Cramars” cooperative and is financed by the “Fondazione Friuli” foundation, while the national organisation of mountain communities (UNCEM) is a project partner.

“Third places” for encounters

The little Swiss town of Lichtensteig has also for years been struggling with emigration and a loss of importance. It is now positioning itself as a “mini-town” that offers inexpensive space for realising its own visions and ideas. It supports initiatives to revitalise vacant premises. For its efforts, the city was in 2023 awarded the “Wakkerpreis”: this is awarded to municipalities that have achieved something special in terms of their townscape and settlement development. Studios; event, rehearsal and exhibition spaces; new art; a bar; concerts, parties, exhibitions or talks: the “Lichtensteig Town Hall for Culture” was also one of the outstanding examples presented at the symposium entitled “Culture in the Village – Village Culture” held in Wattens/A in summer 2023. The event addressed the potential of “third places” as open meeting spaces and future laboratories between home and workplace. These can for example be an old indoor swimming pool, such as the Kulturpool Gusental/A, or the unused railway station premises hosting the “La Foresta” project in Rovereto/I. Bianca Elzenbaumer, Co-President of CIPRA International and herself involved in “La Foresta”, says: “Third places are important for people because they create lively spaces where new things are always learned in an informal way, with a variety of ways for people to get involved in processes that help create the good life for all."

Sources and further information:

www.vieniavivereinmontagna.it/ (it), www.tki.at/themen/nicht-daheim-und-doch-zuhause/ (de), www.heimatschutz.ch/wakkerpreis (de, fr, it, en), www.laforesta.net (en, it), https://komplex-kulturmagazin.com/2023/06/20/weichenstellung-fur-eine-dorfkultur-der-zukunft-symposium-kultur-im-dorf/ (de), https://kulturpool-gusental.at/Altes-Hallenbad-Gallneukirchen (de), https://rathausfuerkultur.ch/ (de)