Cuglieri excluded from the mountain municipalities? This could be the fate of the Montiferro village, if the decree from Minister for Regional Affairs Roberto Calderoli becomes law. The change is substantial and alters the requirements for being recognized as a mountain municipality: at least 20% of the land area must be above 600 meters and at least 25% of the municipal area must have a slope greater than 20% .

Without these, there would be a lack of access to national funds for mountain areas, a reduction in the application of tax incentives, and a change in the planning of infrastructure and social interventions; and the possibility of benefiting from specific development policies would also be weakened. Cuglieri is among the 75 Sardinian villages currently cut off .

This is a genuine attack on the uniqueness of this Montiferro municipality, for which its mountains have always been a vital center, drawing sustenance. Its economy and daily life have been built around mountain resources. It would be a blow to Cuglieri's agricultural and mountain economy; paying property tax on agricultural land and buildings would mean the loss of important resources for soil conservation, hydrogeological management, and fire protection, as well as diminished rights to education and healthcare policies.

But there is a glimmer of hope. This is still a draft law, so there's a chance the parameters could be revised. The municipal administration, led by Andrea Loche, immediately took action to defend the status in all institutional forums, because Cuglieri historically displays the territorial and socioeconomic characteristics of mountain communities: "We are evaluating every possible initiative, to be undertaken in the relevant bodies, to request a review of the classification ; to possibly request the recognition of alternative forms of protection, such as inland areas and disadvantaged territories, thus protecting the community's interests and ensuring adequate development opportunities. Citizens will be promptly informed of developments and the actions taken."

For Gianni Tumbarinu, an engineer who lives, works, and designs in Cuglieri, it's a heavy blow: "If this were to happen, it would hit even harder the hands that work our land, the land of our farmers and cultivators, whose labor keeps these slopes alive. Without resources, without services, without dignity for those who produce in the mountains, these valleys will become stony deserts."

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