The award ceremony of the fourth edition of “Small Friendly Municipality” organized by Codacons and Coldiretti which promotes the excellence of Italian municipalities with less than 5,000 inhabitants. Several partners, sponsored by Ministry of Business and Made in Italy, Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry and Ministry of Culture. Awards therefore to small municipalities with less than 5 thousand inhabitants that, in the last year, have worked to enhance the territory and local products, encouraging tourism. Excellent result for our region that out of 21 Italian municipalities awarded has distinguished itself with four municipalities and a farm run by a young person. For the “agri-food” category, the award went to the municipality of Maierà (CS), for the “culture, art and history” category Santa Domenica di Talao (CS), “social innovation” Santa Caterina dello Ionio (CZ), the special prize “the village in a photo” to Badolato (CZ). Five companies were awarded as “Young Agricultural Entrepreneur”, for those who have distinguished themselves in terms of innovation, environmental sustainability and protection of biodiversity. For Calabria, the award was given to Natale Godino, owner of the Birrificio Agricolo Miresia, located in Vaccarizzo Albanese (CS). It produces a fresh and thirst-quenching beer and, at the same time, provides the consumer with a product that comes directly from the earth and with simple production processes. Natale began his agricultural entrepreneurial experience dedicating himself to the most widespread cultivation of the territory such as the olive tree, but his great passion for agriculture led him to diversify and to give vent to his passions. Taking advantage of the pure water of the springs present in the area, he began to grow organic barley and hops that he uses for production. The company’s offer currently includes two types of beer, “Flava” the blonde and “Rubra” the red.
In Calabria, Coldiretti recalls, there are 323 municipalities with up to 5,000 inhabitants, 5.8% of the 5,538 Italians and 79% of the Calabrian municipalities where a population of 526,000 inhabitants resides, equal to 28.5% of the Calabrian population. The latest indications – Coldiretti informs – say that in the summer of 2024 two out of three tourists will visit the villages where almost all the PDO and PGI products are produced. In congratulating the award winners Frank Vinegar president of Coldiretti Calabria stated: “the villages have a significant economic, historical, cultural and environmental value in a landscape strongly characterised by agricultural production. They represent – he concludes – a tourist engine and a strategic resource for economic and employment revival to stem depopulation, guarantee hydrogeological protection and the maintenance of traditions”.