Sardinia was also present, with the Municipality of Las Plassas among the key players at the press conference held at the Chamber of Deputies on the "Bellezz@" project, the national program aimed at restoring forgotten cultural sites and left without funding after the 2022 defunding.
Mayors and administrators from across Italy gathered in Montecitorio to demand the restoration of funds allocated to 62 municipalities, affecting over 550,000 citizens, and nearly €49 million frozen for projects involving palaces, museums, places of worship, and historic centers, whose restoration has both economic and identity-building value.
Among the speakers was Andrea Lampis, mayor of Las Plassas and provincial councilor responsible for youth policies and combating depopulation and declining birth rates. He was one of the few administrators invited to speak directly during the initiative promoted by Democratic Party MP Simona Bonafè. His speech focused on the future of the Marmilla Castle, the Castrum Marmillae , a medieval fortress that dominates the area, a few kilometers from the UNESCO site of Su Nuraxi di Barumini, and which represents one of the most important historical symbols of the Marmilla region. This cultural asset has been awaiting final approval for years for a restoration and enhancement project. "I have asked the Prime Minister to honor the commitments already made, especially towards small municipalities like Las Plassas, which are suffering from declining birth rates and depopulation. Indeed, we are at risk of extinction," Lampis declared during his speech in Rome, which can be viewed at https://webtv.camera.it/evento/31314
In his speech, Lampis then emphasized the strategic value of cultural investments for the future of the inland areas and beyond Las Plassas: "These resources also serve to finance a recovery by strategically focusing on culture, supporting families, jobs, young people, and the future of Italy, which owes so much to 'Bellezz@' and culture. Consequently, we can counteract the process of depopulation, or at least try to."
