Minister Musumeci to visit San Giovanni di Gerace to discuss village revitalization

Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci is scheduled to visit San Giovanni di Gerace on September 12. The visit includes a ceremony to dedicate a street to Fortunato Cavaleri, a former mayor of the area during the 1950s.

The event will serve as a forum to discuss the challenges facing hilltop villages, specifically focusing on demographic decline, low birth rates, and youth emigration. These issues are particularly acute in Calabria and across more than 2,300 Italian municipalities. Experts and local officials will address how these smaller communities are marginalized by transportation infrastructure and a tourism industry that primarily favors coastal regions.

Local leaders, including Antonio Barillaro, president of the Unione Valle del Torbido, aim to highlight the historical and cultural heritage of these towns as a foundation for reversing current demographic trends.