Romania | Hârtibaciu Valley - Sibiu County

The first days of June found the researchers from the Romanian team in the rural area of the Hârtibaciu Valley, in Sibiu County. They visited the villages of the case study and surrounding areas, interviewing people about their life there, taking photos, and attending community events.

After several prior visits to the Transylvanian case study area, the aim of this stay was to get a deeper understanding of everyday life and the challenges and opportunities specific to each village included in this Re-Place case study area.

The communities are ethnically mixed, and each village has its own rich history and local identity. Discussions revealed a plethora of strategies used to cope with the challenges in the area – at individual, village, and commune levels. Some of these strategies are promoted by authorities across different administrative levels, while others are supported by local associations.

The migration flows to and from the area are diverse and vary from village to village. During this visit, researchers interviewed seasonal migrants who work abroad in agriculture, returnees, internal migrants, foreigners who moved there in recent years, out-migrants who were visiting their family, and non-migrants.

Throughout their stay, the researchers had the privilege of meeting wonderful people who generously gave their time for in-depth discussions, were always available for questions, and helped them build connections within the community — for which they are deeply grateful.

Italy | Caselle in Pittari – Southern Cilento

On May 12, 2025, household interviews were launched in the case study of Caselle in Pittari – Southern Cilento. Facilitated by the local mediation team, these conversations offered valuable insights into how residents perceive the dynamics of territorial development in this area.

The interviews revealed a notable contrast between long-term residents without mobility experience and those who have spent time living elsewhere. While many locally rooted participants expressed a sense of disillusionment - mainly due to the lack of essential services and the perceived absence of integrated development strategies - interviewees with external experience tended to recognize greater potential in the area and demonstrated a broader perspective on possible future trajectories.

Despite an underlying tone of resignation, the responses also pointed to persistent forms of resilience and a quiet determination to maintain community life under challenging conditions. This mix of critical awareness and local attachment represents a key element for understanding both the limitations and opportunities of place-based revitalization in Caselle in Pittari.

(Photos by Giulia Fiorentino)

Also in May, Marco Cilento, senior researcher of the Re-Place Sapienza team, met with representatives of the municipal administration of Sapri, in particular with Amalia Morabito, Councillor for Tourism and Culture, and Bruno Zappia, Councillor with delegated responsibility for the Budget.

A fruitful exchange of ideas took place on the main issues concerning the municipalities of Southern Cilento and, particularly the probable closure of the maternity unit at the Immacolata Hospital in Sapri. A decision hypothesised based on parameters imposed by a national law concerning the number of births occurring at this facility. This event has led to a broad popular mobilisation organised through civic committees. The closure of the birth unit would lead to a downgrading of the hospital facility and would inevitably have a negative impact in terms of the territorial mobility.

In the perspective of the village labs foreseen by the Re-Place project, Marco Cilento shared with the institutional representatives some hypotheses and proposals for interventions and policies aimed at countering the phenomenon of depopulation.

(visual records of the popular mobilization in the case study area)

Spain | Canary Islands | Island of El Hierro

El Hierro island fieldwork involving household interviews required contacting emigrants living outside of the island. In this case, digital media were used to interview both internal and international emigrants.

(Emigrants born in El Hierro)

"The two days of the Mediterranean Diet. The good practice - Hub Re.Food 360. Rural Food Revolution"

On June 17, 2025, the Re-Place project was presented at the Conference "The two days of the Mediterranean Diet. The good practice", held at Teatro del Pepe, Rome. The event was organised as part of the project “Hub Re.Food 360. Rural Food Revolution”, within the seminar series “The new routes of the Grand Tour between landscapes and flavours” organised by Fare Ambiente. European Enviromental Movement (https://www.fareambiente.it/).

The Association, chaired by Vincenzo Pepe, believes that sustainable development should be considered a model of economic and social development, contributing to both individual and social well-being. From this perspective, Fare Ambiente works to ensure that sustainability can become a widespread culture and lifestyle, on par with principles such as democracy and freedom. For this reason, peace, development, and environmental protection are seen as interdependent and indivisible.

The event featured contributions from institutional representatives, as well as from professionals, practitioners, and representatives of associations and LAGs (Local Action Groups - it. GAL). The debate focused on the potential of the Mediterranean Diet through the presentation and sharing of good practices, the enhancement of gastronomic assets for tourism purposes, and the creation of territorial networks.

During the Conference, Mihaela Gavrila, from Sapienza University, presented the main features of the Re-Place Project and stressed the importance of LAGs, operating in the Italian and European case studies, to promote sustainable development in rural areas, through participatory strategies and projects involving local actors. Indeed, based on the results of our reasearch, LAGs could play an important role in repositioning rural areas in local development projects and in people’s perceptions.

Re-Place at the Association of American Geographers (AAG) annual meeting

Re-Place was represented by the members of the ULPGC team at the AAG annual meeting held in Detroint (Michigan), from 24 to 28 March 2025. Cristóbal Mendonza, from ULPGC University presented the study “Neo endogenous local development and immigration in rural Spain: A comparative study of two left-behind Spanish regions”.

Re-Place at the International Geographical Union Thematic Conference

The Re-Place project was represented by the ULPGC team at the International Geographical Union Thematic Conference held in Cairo, Egypt, from 12 to 19 April 2025. The team contributed two presentations, titled “The Role of Human Mobility in Left-Behind Areas in Europe: El Hierro and Sayago (Spain)” and “Measuring Territorial Development from a Local Perspective: The Case of Spain”.

Re-Place at the 7th Global Conference on Economic Geography (GCEG 2025)

Re-Place was represented by Mário Vale form the IGOT team at the workshop “Geographies of Inequalities that Matter,” held during the 7th Global Conference on Economic Geography (GCEG 2025), which took place from June 4 to 8, 2025 at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. The presented paper, entitled Toward a typology of spatial policy in left-behind places in Portugal, was co-authored by Mário Vale and Jennifer McGarrigle, from IGOT. The conference brought together scholars, policymakers, practitioners, and students for the largest international gathering in Economic Geography.