As many as 13.5 million Italians, more than 20 per cent of the population, live in so-called inland areas, i.e. at a significant distance - more than 20 minutes - from centres providing essential services such as secondary schools, hospitals and railway stations. These are areas historically burdened by economic and productive weakness, low levels of income and wealth, high rates of depopulation, youth emigration, low birth rate and an ageing population.

53% of Italy's 8,000 municipalities face difficulties due to this marginalisation on a daily basis. How to revive them?

By 2027, the National Strategy for Inland Areas, the second programming cycle of which has just begun, envisages measures to improve citizenship services and create economic opportunities in 1,094 municipalities (including 35 in the smaller islands) with more than 4.5 million inhabitants. Important figures are on the table: more than 591 million euro of national funds, in addition to European structural funds. Approved in 2014, the SNAI has been implemented for the first time as of 2018 in 19 pilot areas. And there are already indicators that can tell us something about the effectiveness of this policy.