Castiadas is one of four Italian municipalities awarded in the first edition of the "Premio Comune Vivo" (Live Municipality Award), an initiative promoted by the Fondazione con il Sud in collaboration with ANCI (National Association of Italian Municipalities) to recognize small municipalities that are reversing the trend of depopulation. The population, contrary to what is happening almost everywhere else, is growing.
The awards ceremony was held in Rome, during the "Forum PA 2026," in the presence of the president of the Fondazione con il Sud, Stefano Consiglio, the Vice President of ANCI Marialuisa Forte, and the mayors of the award-winning municipalities, including Mayor Eugenio Murgioni.
"Castiadas," Murgioni explains, "is a municipality classified as peripheral, with a population of just over 1,700 and a high rate of permanently vacant homes (approximately 59%). Despite this situation, the municipality has seen a 3.6% increase in the 0-4 age group, a clear sign of a recovery in the birth rate. Among the factors recognized by the jury are regional measures to support the birth rate—including, for 2026, a monthly allowance of €600 for the first child and €400 for the second up to the age of five, reserved for Sardinian municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants—as well as investments in tourism and quality of life, and the presence of foreign families, particularly from Africa. Another factor that has attracted national attention is Castiadas Calcio, a local team that has become a symbol of multi-ethnic integration thanks to the welcome of Senegalese and other nationality players."
The Comune Vivo Award is part of the launch of the national "Sud Vivo" campaign, promoted by the Fondazione con il Sud (Foundation for the South) to build a new public narrative on the phenomenon of depopulation. The goal is to move from a narrative of resignation to one of possibility, highlighting the experiences of demographic, social, cultural, and economic regeneration already underway and promoting collaboration between the public and private sectors.
The data speaks for itself: since 2001, Southern Italy has lost 730,000 people, and without a reversal of this trend, there's a risk of 8 million fewer inhabitants by 2080. The recognition awarded to Castiadas is therefore much more than an award: it's a sign of confidence in a community that, despite its fragility, chooses to look ahead. And it deserves to be known, talked about, and supported.
