Roots, Community, and Territory: the Italiani.it ETS Foundation launches a new challenge to revitalize Italian villages and connect them to their "great global family."
There's an Italy that doesn't appear on maps, but lives in the hearts of millions. It's the Italy of roots, of grandparents who left with a cardboard suitcase, of stories passed down in Spanish, Portuguese, or English... but always with an Italian surname. Some recent estimates put the number at up to 180 million, including anyone with partial descent. The countries with the most descendants are theArgentina and Brazil, followed by United States, but how can we forget the many other countries in South America, Australia, Germany, France and many other countries where Italian emigration in the past brought a strong presence of Italians.
It is from this awareness that the Italiani.it ETS Foundation announces the official launch of the project “Comuni italiani.it: Roots, Community, and Territory”, an ambitious initiative born to transform the emotional bond with one's land into a driver of concrete and sustainable development for local administrations.
Italians.it, a mission lasting over 15 years
The Foundation, drawing on the experience of a network that has been promoting Italian excellence in every language around the world for over 15 years, positions itself as the ideal bridge between small villages and major international cities. The project is not just a marketing ploy, but a civic and cultural mission: to preserve the identity of local communities, combat depopulation, and revive economic networks that seemed destined to collapse.
The Strategic Objectives of the Project
Through collaboration with Italiani.it, partner municipalities become part of a structured ecosystem that aims primarily to:
- Promoting Local Heritage: Not just the great monuments, but the history of the people, the artisanal traditions and the excellent food and wine.
- Promoting “Roots Tourism”: Encourage the return of those who wish to rediscover their origins, transforming the visitor into a "temporary citizen" who reinhabits the places of their ancestors.
- Supporting the Local Economy: Create international showcases for local businesses and attract new investments through the Foundation's global network.
- Fighting Depopulation: Promote new residential projects, offering villages the digital tools they need to be competitive in today's world.
Innovative Tools for Administrations
The project offers local administrations a central and integrated platform, unique in the national landscape, which allows easy access to a series of digital services:
- Global Visibility: Dedicated articles, videos and multilingual social campaigns on the platform italiani.it, which reaches millions of users every month.
- One-Stop Shop for Italians in the World (SUIM): An assistance and orientation service for Italians abroad who wish to contact their home municipality.
- Virtual Museum of Emigrants: A digital space to collect photos, letters, and testimonies from those who left, transforming historical memory into a dynamic cultural attraction.
- Technical Support and Mentoring: Thanks to a Committee of Experts of high profile, the Foundation assists the Municipality in planning events, in researching calls for proposals and in creating agreements to facilitate the return of Italian-descendants.
- Shared event calendar: A shared calendar for associations, administrations, non-profit organizations, and other entities, allowing them to list their events for maximum visibility.
A Two-Step Journey
Collaboration with the Municipalities follows a rigorous and professional process. A first knowledge and planning phase allows us to analyze the specific characteristics of the territory to identify its real potential. This is followed by operational phase, in which the project comes to life through concrete actions starting from the promotion of the territory.
Join the Network ofItalians in the world
The future of our municipalities depends on our ability to look beyond borders. “Italian Municipalities.it” invites mayors and local administrations to become protagonists. Beginning this collaboration means opening the doors of their territory to millions of "ambassadors” ready to return, invest and revive our traditions.
Because Italy is where your roots are. And it's time for those roots to bear new fruit.
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