The gap in inland areas also risks cultural exclusion

And yet, the cooperative form comes to represent up to 40% of the productive fabric in the country's inland areas, Barni explains. These are widespread realities, often founded in the 1970s and 1980s, which have managed to remain in the area thanks to an intergenerational and deep-rooted structure. Not only: realities that often regenerate entire disused spaces, bringing innovation to places on the verge of abandonment.

"These things are not valued in the distribution of funds. The ability to regenerate spaces, to involve communities, to create stable employment (not only for actors and artists, but also for technicians and workers), to be cultural garrisons in territories where only this exists is not recognised. And then the possibility of nurturing young talent: in the theatre, for example, most of the active structures for young people are cooperatives'.

The geography of the cultural garrisons is not taken into account, and indeed: out of the total number of applications as many as 180 are concentrated in just three regions: Lombardy, Lazio and Emilia-Romagna. While the presence in areas such as Molise, Basilicata or Valle d'Aosta remains marginal. The risk is to strengthen a two-speed system, which amplifies the distance between strong cultural centres and weak territories.

The issue is intertwined with thereform of the Entertainment Code, which has already slipped - the first deadline was 18 August 2025 - and is now expected to end in 2026, after the Chamber of Deputies approved, on Wednesday 6 August, the bill to extend the deadline for the exercise of the delegated powers for the reorganisation of the provisions on entertainment. The new deadline thus slipped to 31 December 2026. "So far we have not been able to open an interlocution with the government, with the exception of a few initial plenaries, but we hope to have a dialogue as soon as possible because in the inland areas and in the small municipalities, cooperatives are often the only existing cultural infrastructure that is neither amateurish nor voluntary, but that creates work. Why is this role not recognised at the national level?

Among the actors that will present reform proposals will be CulTurMedia, which aims with the involvement of universities, institutions and representations of thethird sector to overcome the current logic of subsidy, by virtue of investments or facilities intended to create cohesion and pluralism.

"If this role of cooperation is not recognised, many places in Italy will be doomed to cultural desertification. We are not asking for support for losses but the possibility of facilitations, simplifications, public-private partnerships. We cannot think that the inclusion and dissemination of culture will only come from volunteers, de-professionalising the sector'.

The lack of dialogue between the state and the territorial headmasters also emerged on the occasion of the National Plan Borghi, an initiative financed by the NRP aimed at the regeneration and theeconomic and social revitalisation of Italian villages. The aim is to counter depopulation, enhance the cultural and tourist heritage and promote sustainable development.

The Borghi Committee, to which the associations belonged, was no longer convened, and thesystematic confrontation with the sector's representatives came to an end. "One cannot think of not involving the private sector in all phases of the Plan, especially if it is a private sector that pursues the same objectives as the public sector. Also because the restoration of an area alone is no guarantee of repopulation of the place'.

In essence, the missed opportunity of the boroughs revitalisation project is that of a real involvement ofprivate actors in the activities following the building redevelopment, with the aim of revitalising the territory on which these actors already operate. "Initially, the co-designing of these places together with specialists in the sector was envisaged," Barni explains, "but then it was not. Now we expect an opening, that the actors who then actually bring the greatest impact to the territory will be involved'.