Even in the Messina area there are small “treasure chests” that have earned the showcase of autonomy at the end of long battles. And if today the map of the metropolitan city has 108 municipalities, this is the result of history. That same story that in a few decades could draw new territorial borders.
If the mayor of Roccafiorita Concetto Orlando, almost with bitter resignation, states that it is impossible to stop the phenomenon of depopulation, as if it were an uncontrollable natural evolution or in any case only procrastinable, and if the “colleague” of Antillo it even outlines a time horizon (“30 years”), beyond which there will be no trace of its and other small centers, then urgent shock therapies appear necessary. In some ways, what is recorded in that of is even more paradoxical Montagnarealewhere the head of the Administration, Salvatore Sidoti, admits that his community has practically everything: from schools to the post office, through hospitality and commercial activities, services, sports facilities, proximity to the motorway and the “great” Patti. Yet, in this country of 1400 souls a key element is progressively missing: the set of people, men and women. More precisely, the number of new born children is decreasing. And if for every ten elderly people who pass away only three babies are born, the gap is unbridgeable. Nowadays, therefore, fewer and fewer children are being had, and in small towns the lack of generational turnover comes at a higher price than elsewhere, with the risk of the disappearance of entire villages, if not the entire country. It is placed at the top of the “Pelloritana list”. Roccafioritathe smallest municipality in the whole of Sicily, with just 173 residents “protected” by that Monte Kalfa destination for many visitors. With the current moonlight, its “emptying” could be truly unstoppable, rising to 163, 153 or even thirty inhabitants among who knows how many, in the same way as Morterone, in Lombardy. Here, then, to quote the mayor of LibrizziRenato Di Blasi, that if the national and regional governments really wanted to put a stop to the phenomenon they should make targeted contributions and not one at a time, implement the mountain free zones bill, include those who have them among the beneficiaries of certain resources title, i.e. precisely the disadvantaged locations. And among the latter those who do not even have an outlet to the sea suffer more than others. You see Cesaròrelegated to the margins of the province of Messina and penalized extremely by its geographical location. Opposite speech for Rometta and Veneticowhich manage to keep up thanks to the hamlets on the Tyrrhenian coast, affected by increasing migrations from the historic centres, located on the hills and more difficult to reach. Another factor of absolute importance coincides with the road and transport system. If the roads fall to pieces and suffer from frequent hydrogeological instability, if public transport connects the most remote towns in fits and starts or not at all, the challenge is lost from the start. In such a dark picture, where could we see some light? A hope leads to the welcome of new residents of foreign nationality. Just as is happening in Librizzi, where a large community from Eastern Europe is growing. A few summers ago, a vacationer was enchanted by the village, returned, bought a house and then put down roots. Other compatriots imitated him, reaching the territory administered by Di Blasi with their cars. Today, some are parked in the streets of the historic center of Librizzo. The license plate bears the initials “CZ”. The first thought goes to Catanzaro, but the letters identify something else: Czech Republic.