Material and immaterial culture of the internal minor centres. Studies and researches for the ecological transition of the Madonie inner mountain area in Sicily

Abstract

Presently, the European Union strategies aim at strengthening the rural areas that are characterized by a deep depopulation, people aging, and a weak employment market. In these "marginalized" areas, the urban regeneration process may be assisted by the creation of smart villages, realities that will cooperate and create innovative small towns. The Sicilian inner mountain area, in particular, consists of twenty-one villages - mostly dating back to the Middle Age - that present an attractive localization due to naturalistic, landscape and cultural features, also qualified by a well-preserved geographical area whose main building typological features were not altered during time. This paper presents the results of a research finalized to an implementation of a sustainable technological design aimed at creating a network of smart villages able to enhance the urban centers and their cultural, anthropic, and natural heritage, also bringing them back to a contemporary well-being and smart life conditions. Moreover, transmitting to the future generations the material and immaterial values that must be preserved and reconsidered as regenerating sources for this territory is of fundamental importance, also to generate a novel green economy and boost, once again, the local performance. The proposed strategies of intervention will activate virtuous procedures and guidelines for a sustainable progress. Taking care of communication and technological design, it is advisable to improve the connection between all these urban centers, taking advantage of the whole natural and built environments. Finally, the proposed methodology could be intended as an efficient guideline that could be easily applied to other similar national and international contexts.