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."
Las Plassas was selected from a six-figure list of cultural sites. A letter signed by then-Minister Maria Elena Boschi explained that the Renzi government, in 2016, had promoted a €150 million plan for the protection, renovation, enhancement, and recovery of Italy's cultural heritage. The initiative offered mayors, associations, parishes, and even private individuals the opportunity to nominate cultural assets worthy of intervention. The minister announced that the selection committee, after reviewing approximately 140,000 nominations from across Italy, had also selected Las Plassas Castle from among the 271 projects eligible for funding. To qualify for funding, the Municipality of Marmilla had to provide the design at its own expense.
Lampis used a harsh tone during his speech : "Who is responsible for the defunding? What were they thinking? The inland areas are at risk of depopulation, and these decisions against us only exacerbate the process. Investment, not defunding, is needed to combat this phenomenon, which isn't just affecting Las Plassas but is now present throughout Europe."
The project developed by the Municipality of Las Plassas in 2019 included strengthening the castle walls, improving accessibility to the site, installing new lighting systems, turning the area into a museum, and further archaeological excavations. The plan initially cost around €850,000, but could now exceed €1 million, partly due to price increases in recent years. "We have already invested nearly €100,000 for this executive project, and other selected entities throughout Italy have also contributed to these projects," Lampis points out.
In Sardinia, in addition to Las Plassas, the Bellezz@ project included projects in Busachi, Illorai, Iglesias, Mandas, Nughedu Santa Vittoria, Sadali, San Vero Milis, Semestene, Sennariolo, Serramanna, Tempio Pausania, and Villasor. The dispute among the municipalities involved continues at the political and institutional levels. Initiatives launched include amendments presented in Parliament, such as that by Sardinian MP Francesca Ghirra and other colleagues, and the support of the national ANCI (National Association of Municipalities). In a letter to the Ministry of Culture, the association of Italian municipalities recalls that "many administrations have completed all the required procedures, incurring significant expenses without receiving any compensation." Hence the request to the government to safeguard the approved projects and not to disperse this cultural, administrative, and design heritage built over the years.