Maybe villages are our future—not just cities
Italy's Matera as a case study for revitalizing small governments and creating a future of interconnected villages.
ike many ancient Italian villages, Matera was once a thriving civilization that became abandoned for bigger cities with more universities and better jobs. The picturesque town perched upon mountain caves has played Jerusalem in more than one Jesus film and hosts only 60,000 residents.
There have been many attempts to revitalize Italian villages: Selling houses for €1 to attract international development or giving residents €8,000 to start businesses there. But Matera has been continuously occupied since the 10th century BCE, and the village saw an opportunity to do something different.
After all, they’d hosted great civilizations in the past, what new civilization could they still become?
“Because the city is very ancient, it is quite resilient—it has had to reinvent itself many times over the years,” Rita Orlando, Cultural Manager of Matera 2019 told me. “This seemed a strength on which to build a new vision for the future.”
In 2014, the village entered a bid to become the next European Capital of Culture—and won. The distinction is awarded to a new village every year, with villages submitting plans on how they will use culture to boost their development, and winners hosting a year of cultural events to attract residents and boost their economies.
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