Abstract

The paper analyses the so-called Bando Borghi, a specific investment of the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan that amount to over one billion euros for the regeneration of historic small villages, mainly located in marginal and disadvantaged areas. The Regions’ and local authorities’ marginalisation in the drafting of the investment, the unclear role of the Regions in the selection of winning projects, and the difficulties that small municipalities face on an administrative and organisational level are critically examined and discussed. The conclusion is that the considered investment, affected by an excessively centralistic and ministerial approach, did not give adequate consideration to the territorial cohesion dimension and, above all, to the limited administrative and financial capacity of the local authorities, posing serious threats to the success of the interventions planned.