Supporting the “sustainability” of inland (rural) areas in Basilicata. Tools and place- based strategies for implementing local development processes in the Lagonegrese-Pollino subregion.

According to the Regional Rural Development Program 2014-2020, most of the territory of Basilicata is classified as “Rural Areas with Development Problems (D)”. As such, it suffers from severe processes of marginalization due to depopulation, population aging and the cessation of activities related to micro companies. These phenomena weaken local socio-economic systems and constitute a risk factor for maintaining the environmental balance. In addition, the economic instability resulting from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact, especially on the agricultural enterprises that offer diversified activities and services to meet tourism demand (with non-hotel accommodation and catering services), mainly associated with non-traditional tourism. The point of view from which this situation can be observed and analyzed is the Lagonegrese-Pollino subregion. Despite numerous factors due to the obvious marginality and weakness of the territory, there are factors in this area that allow for change in terms of sustainable planning of the territory, in which not only the institutional actors but also the local population play a central role. These are the conditions to investigate the central policies and ad hoc programming tools, especially regarding sustainable and quality tourism development. Starting from the National Strategy for Inner Areas to the Local Development Strategy, through the analysis of a project for the conversion and reuse of a railway infrastructure transformed into a greenway (the disused Lagonegro-Spezzano Albanese), the work aims to evaluate which instruments can activate sustainable fruition paths in the analyzed subregion and, in particular, whether participation and social activation represent an added value for the creation of territorial renewal processes.