Books: “Mediae terrae”, the contemporary Apennines by Commissioner Castelli

The reconstruction made necessary by the seismic sequence that hit central Italy between 2016 and 2017 is becoming, thanks to a precise strategy, a model for the growth and development of our internal areas. This is the so-called Central Apennine Laboratory, whose principles of innovation, safety and sustainability are applied in the largest construction site in Europe. The experience gained in the field by Guido Castelli, Extraordinary Commissioner for the 2016 earthquake, has become a book: “Mediae Terrae. After the earthquake: the rebirth of central Italy beyond the fragility of the territory” in which the author traces the lines to re-establish a contemporary Apennines rich in art and millenary culture and open to new networks, both physical and virtual. A land in between, between past and future. The book was presented today by the author at the Dante Alighieri Society during a meeting attended by Alessandro Canelli, President of IFEL and Mayor of Novara; Marco Fioravanti, President of the National Council of Anci and Mayor of Ascoli Piceno and Luca Bianchi, Director of Svimez. The meeting was moderated by Pierciro Galeone, Director of IFEL. The Commissioner for the 2016 earthquake, Guido Castelli: “I would like to thank the President of Ifel and the President of the National Council of Anci who, together with the other speakers, offered timely and useful contributions to a major issue that is particularly close to my heart: the rebirth of the central Apennines. It is not just a matter of rebuilding buildings, but also of repairing the economic and social fabric of these territories in order to combat depopulation, a long-term phenomenon that has worsened due to the earthquake. To confirm the fact that investments contribute substantially to slowing depopulation, the study carried out by Ifel comes to our aid, confirming precisely this assumption. In the areas of the crater where investments have been greater, in fact, in recent years, an improving trend of the demographic curve has been recorded. What we are doing, therefore, is recreating the conditions to allow these communities a future of growth, making the central Apennines more modern, accessible, attractive and liveable”. The President of the National Council of Anci, Marco Fioravanti: “The territories of central Italy, where the earthquake of 2016 and 2017 hit hard, need to be reborn and look to the future with optimism and hope. The material reconstruction of these places is essential to start the equally important immaterial, social and community reconstruction, combining economic recovery with the rediscovery of places that have always been custodians of tradition and values. The path that is being taken is going in the right direction, thanks to the great work put in place to make the internal areas of the central Apennines safe and lively”. The Director of Svimez, Luca Bianchi: “There has been a Central Italy issue for some time now that is being underestimated. Crushed by a public debate focused on the North - South binomial, Central Italy has been experiencing a delicate phase for years characterized on one hand by the crisis of the internal areas and by demographic dynamics, on the other by the weak trend of the GDP, by a weakening of the productive structure and by the indicators of the labor market. An "earthquake triangle", in short, which has lost ground with the recessions of the past years, but which is trying to climb back up also thanks to the investments of the PNRR".