Critique of Italy's 'borgo' rhetoric and the PNRR's impact on small towns

Francesca Lacqua, in her text 'L'Italia straordinaria dal finestrino' from the book 'Contro i borghi' (Donzelli Editore), argues that the 'borgo' is a projection of desires by outsiders, not a lived reality. The term 'borgo' has been used since 2002 with the 'I borghi più belli d'Italia' list, promoting a tourist-friendly, aestheticized image that ignores residents' needs. Scholars Filippo Barbera, Domenico Cersosimo, and Antonio De Rossi criticize this narrative for reducing territorial valorization to tourism, often with a superficial ecological veneer. Anna Rizzo, in 'I paesi invisibili', highlights that many small towns lack schools, banks, and mobility plans, while funds are directed toward tourist accommodations. The PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) has exacerbated this trend, allocating over €1 billion to about 250 localities for cultural, social, and economic regeneration, but often prioritizing viral marketing and tourist appeal over sustainable community development. Carmela Chiapperini, Emanuela Montenegro, and Gianfranco Viesti, in 'Ventuno fortunati borghi' (also in 'Contro i borghi'), note that PNRR initiatives primarily benefit external visitors rather than countering depopulation. The article calls for abandoning the inflated term 'borgo' and returning to 'paesi' (towns), emphasizing the need to focus on work, services, education, healthcare, housing, and long-term social relations.