The dream is to reverse the trend and create a "happier country". All this, counteracting the depopulation that has seen over a thousand people leave in the last 30 years.
Marco Corrias, editor-in-chief of Tg5 and Terra correspondent, now retired, is the creator of this project which aims to "rebirth" Fluminimaggiore, the mining town which in the last 30 years, after the closure of nearby mining activities, has lost more than a thousand inhabitants, stopping at 2,500.
A homecoming that began eight years ago with the candidacy and election as mayor for the first term, "even if we have to say it, I have never left my place of origin". «My candidacy was a way to give something to Fluminimaggiore - he says - and help the center which had to deal with the closure of the mines and the inexorable depopulation». So the beginning of an activity based on curiosity, "that of a journalist", and then the ideas "to reverse a course and a decline". «We played the culture card - says Marco Corrias who in the past also worked for Repubblica and was a correspondent for the weekly Epoca - and at the same time tried to put the heritage of empty houses that the country offers online». Hence the birth of the community cooperative which today has 400 members and of which Corrias, now that he is no longer mayor, has become president.
«Our idea was, and is, to buy the empty houses in the town, or have them available from the owners who perhaps have become partners - he continues - and create a residence for high-spending pensioners coming from the rest of Italy or even from northern Europe. All following examples that I had already seen elsewhere in my professional activity."
The project provides an all-inclusive service for those who decide to move to the town, rich in water sources and naturalistic and cultural routes ranging from the temple of Antas to industrial archaeology. «From the arrangement of the house - explains Corrias - to the delivery of meals, as well as the service for those who want to go to the theater or want to travel».
While waiting for the project to grow, brick by brick, the coop's activity continues. «We started with a policy of small steps - he says -. Therefore creating a series of services for the inhabitants ranging from assistance to the care of public green areas." And then the minibus for transfers, and the "palace". «We purchased, also using the resources linked to the Just transition fund tender, a small building in the center of the town where the social nursery will be built, a place where mothers make their time available to look after their children - he continues -, then a service center with study space for students who will then have to help the elderly to navigate the world of digital bureaucracy». And then space for a cafeteria but also classrooms for cultural initiatives. «There will be a space for the presentation of books, screening of films, documentaries or small concerts - he adds -. Let's keep in mind that if we manage to bring 50 people it is a victory and a positive thing." And then the other cultural initiatives, such as the Andaras film festival dedicated to short films and traveling cinema founded in 2019 and particularly followed throughout the month-long programme. A challenge for Marco Corrias who continues to shuttle between Rome where he has lived for the last 30 years, after journeys between Cagliari and Milan and his home in Fluminimaggiore. «We have launched the fundraiser which will be used to help pay part of the expenses and interest due to the loans for the purchase of the building - he says - within a few days many have joined. The objective is to give legs to the project in its interest. Next week we will be in Florence to promote our project and the country." The happy village. From the rest of the world to Fluminimaggiore.
