Basilicata social infrastructure faces structural desertification

In Basilicata, Italy, the implementation of Rural Living Labs within the Metaclustera Potenza is being criticized as a form of 'bureaucratic science fiction' that fails to address the region's actual structural desertification and demographic decline.

Sociologist Pietro Simonettis argues that while formal institutions like banks, post offices, and medical offices are closing, local bars remain the only functional 'third places' for community interaction and mutual aid. He suggests that instead of investing in complex biennial plans that primarily benefit professionals, the regional government should support these existing social hubs through tax incentives, such as reductions in TARI or IMU, to preserve them as essential sociocultural presences.