Valle dell’Aterno Model Forest concludes STAI Project: seven new entrepreneurial initiatives and a stronger community

The Valle dell’Aterno Model Forest (FMVA), has presented the results of STAI – Strumenti e Competenze dell’Abitare in Montagna, a year-long project aimed at strengthening sustainable living and entrepreneurship in mountain areas. The initiative focused on the municipalities of Fagnano Alto, Fontecchio, San Demetrio ne' Vestini, Secinaro, and Tione degli Abruzzi - small rural communities facing depopulation, limited economic opportunities, and fragile local economies.

Funded by ActionAid International Italia and Fondazione Realizza il Cambiamento within the EU-cofinanced programme The CARE – Civil Actors for Rights and Empowerment, STAI successfully engaged 109 people, delivered multi-day training sessions, and supported seven entrepreneurial projects through tailored mentoring. Scientific and institutional partners included Slow Food Abruzzo, the University of L’Aquila, the University of Teramo, the Sirente Velino Regional Park, and the Gran Sasso Science Institute.

A year of training, collaboration, and new ideas

Throughout the year, participants took part in workshops, territorial animation events, mentoring sessions, and practical laboratories. Thirteen participants followed the complete training cycle, which involved national-level experts in fields such as sustainable tourism, agriculture, artisan crafts, and rural development.

A working group was also activated to encourage local purchasing of agricultural products, while a dedicated focus group involved artisans, designers, and residents in the co-design of wooden objects - strengthening local value chains and the cultural identity of traditional woodworking.

Empowering mountain entrepreneurship

During the final meeting at Poggio Picenze, representatives from FMVA, academic partners, and the project’s working team presented the outcomes.

Project manager Andrea Massimo Murari highlighted how STAI blended training, coaching, and exchange to build a culture of sustainable living and entrepreneurship in mountain areas, noting that “new networks, ideas, and collaborations have emerged - assets that will continue generating value for these inner areas. Thanks to the scientific coordination of the University of L’Aquila, the proposals that emerged have transformed into concrete pathways for enterprise and local development. Participants worked on business plans, economic sustainability, and growth strategies, building new territorial collaborations.”

Milena Molozzu, who co-led the incubation phase, emphasized the importance of creating connections among local entrepreneurs: “What do we need to truly live in these wonderful mountains? The project was born from this simple question, to offer opportunities for income in contexts where people often emigrate due to lack of work. The most important outcome is that small entrepreneurs - and those aspiring to become one - met each other, even though they lived in neighboring villages. This allowed them to share ideas and projects. We encouraged participants to focus on a single business idea, trying to place it within a local value chain and network, making it concrete through business planning. From this perspective, the focus groups were extremely valuable, combining tourism, craftsmanship, and agriculture.”

Academic and community perspectives

Professor Luciano Fratocchi of the University of L’Aquila noted how the project countered the stereotype of passivity in rural communities: “People often say that residents in these areas just sit on the couch, but instead we saw long-term and new inhabitants full of ideas and motivation. The challenge now is to overcome a widespread lack of entrepreneurial attitude - a deficit, so to speak, of practical sense. The work ahead must focus on connecting ideas, helping them interact, and insisting on personalized support to turn entrepreneurial concepts into reality, increasingly involving local administrations.”

For FMVA President Alessio Di Giulio, the project has already demonstrated its value: “A small miracle has already occurred: a new aggregation has formed around business ideas that now have the possibility to bear fruit, creating something vitally important for these territories - sustainable economic activities. Also very positive is the network established with the project partners, a heritage we must preserve. There has also been a mindset shift, with greater awareness that we cannot rely solely on public funding, which cannot guarantee continuity.”

A network of expertise supporting local futures

The training events, held across various villages, involved experts from universities, professional associations, community cooperatives, and local enterprises. Topics ranged from rural tourism and agroecology to forest management, ethical finance, and traditional crafts - reflecting the integrated and multidisciplinary nature of Model Forest work.

Through STAI, the Valle dell’Aterno Model Forest has demonstrated how community-driven processes, supported by strong partnerships and targeted capacity-building, can nurture new economic opportunities and strengthen the resilience of mountain territories.