Il GAL Tirreno Aeolian has joined the Municipalities in the World Project by signing a memorandum of understanding with the Italiani.it Foundation. This is a first for the project. For the first time, the membership comes not from a single municipality, but from a Local Action Group that brings together 14 local governments.
The Tirreno Eolie GAL is the planning tool that brings together public and private entities to promote the development of northeastern Sicily, including the Aeolian archipelago. With the resolution of March 17, 2026, the GAL included an entire district encompassing the Tyrrhenian coast and islands in the project. It includes: Condrò, Gualtieri Sicaminò, Leni, Lipari, Malfa, Milazzo, Pace del Mela, San Filippo del Mela, San Pier Niceto, Santa Lucia del Mela, Santa Marina Salina, Torregrotta, Valdina, and Venetico.
It's an area that tells one of Southern Italy's most significant stories of emigration. From the towns along the Messina coast to the islands of Lipari, Salina, and the other Aeolian Islands, generations of families have left these lands for Australia, the Americas, and Northern Europe, bringing with them dialects, traditions, and the memory of a sea that remains a defining point of identity for those who left and their descendants.
With the signing of the protocol, the 14 municipalities join the "Municipalities in the World" network that the Italiani.it Foundation is building throughout Italy. The goal is to reconnect these municipalities to their communities around the world through multilingual digital tools.
For the GAL region, collective membership means being able to count on a common platform to intercept local tourism, while also offering local businesses, from crafts to food and wine, a channel for international visibility.
Are you originally from one of these municipalities? This is your story too! If your roots lie in Milazzo, Patti, Lipari, or one of the other municipalities in the GAL Tirreno Eolie district, wherever you are in the world, stay connected to your homeland.
If you are an Italian or an Italian descendant living abroad, please contact your municipality of origin using this form: https://www.italiani.it/progetto-comuni-canale/contatti-per-comuni/You'll be among the first to receive updates on your country, be able to communicate directly with the administration, and much more.
