Centuripe's fight to protect its pristine landscape from development

In Centuripe, Sicily, residents are mobilizing to protect the Muglia lands from industrial development, advocating for historical, archaeological, and landscape protections. The area remains one of the few untouched landscapes in Italy, spared by historical contingencies rather than generosity. The author, Antonio Natali, argues that true preservation comes from grassroots involvement, as public administrations often fail. He criticizes the promise of jobs and benefits that typically accompany development projects, which rarely materialize, leaving communities with damaged territories and lost memory. Natali emphasizes that the concept of common heritage is fundamental to a civilized society, and only when citizens feel ownership of their land will they effectively protect it. He calls for direct citizen action to safeguard Italy's artistic and environmental heritage, dismissing the notion of a 'diffuse museum' as a chimera without popular support and adequate funding.