In the heart of the Upper Po Valley, at the foot of the majestic Monviso, lies Ostana, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, which tells an extraordinary story of resilience and rebirth. What in the eighties seemed to be a chronicle of slow abandonment has become an example of regeneration thanks to the passion and commitment of Giacomo Lombardo, enlightened mayor who dedicated his life to the rebirth of the country.
From the trauma of abandonment to the determination to return
Giacomo Lombardo has experienced the tragedy of depopulation in his own flesh. As a child, the move from his beloved Ostana to Turin was a trauma. “Moving from the fields and snow to the city was a painful change,” he recalled during the meeting on the theme of Terre Alte and Restanza. Good ideas and good practices are examples of Ostana and beyond. That memory ignited in him a deep determination: to bring back life and human warmth to a disappearing country.
When Ostana, now reduced to a handful of inhabitants, seemed destined for oblivion, Lombardo intervened. In 1985, together with a small group of people, he won the elections and took control of the village’s fate.
A plan for rebirth
The initial situation was bleak: isolated hamlets, non-existent services, roads in bad shape. Lombardo and his team started from here, laying solid foundations for the future. Among the first decisions was the decision to prevent new construction to preserve the territory. In addition, any restoration would respect the traditional architecture, with the use of local stone and narrow windows to retain the heat, in tune with the Occitan culture.
“Beauty creates other beauty,” says the mayor, aware that the village’s aesthetics would attract new inhabitants and visitors. At the same time, enhancing the Occitan language, even mentioned by Dante in the Divine Comedy, became a key point of the project of rebirth of the village. “Marginal areas, without any pride in their history, are destined to disappear,” explains Lombardo.
The results of a long-term vision
After a first decade as mayor, during which Ostana began to flourish, Lombardo left the post to take care of relations with other regions of Occitania. He returned in 2004 with even more ambitious ideas, involving new people and launching innovative projects such as a literary prize dedicated to writers in minority languages, to build a strong cultural network.
The effect of these interventions has been seen in the following years. Ostana now boasts a shelter-hotel, three permanent residents’ lodgings and a bakery serving the local community.
Mountain farming has been revived, with initiatives such as the planting of 150 trees to restore traditional crops. Serena, a young farmer, grows berries and a vegetable garden, showing that even young people can find new life in these mountains.
From 5 to 50 inhabitants: the dream continues
In the 1980s, Ostana was reduced to five permanent inhabitants; today it has 50, with an average age of 37 and a significant presence of children and young people under 18. The community is a harmonious mix of newcomers with a high cultural level and old inhabitants who hold a unique knowledge of the territory. This exchange has created a respectful and vital social ecosystem.
The village now offers a climbing gym, three bars, and even a tree house, but Lombardo is aware of the risks of excessive tourism. “We must make ideas travel more than people,” he says, quoting anthropologist Vito Teti.
The future of Ostana: a replicable model
With the aim of reaching 100 inhabitants, Ostana continues to work for sustainable repopulation. The land association, which manages 300,000 square meters of land, entrusts it to farmers to reclaim abandoned land. In addition, a community cooperative organizes events and runs a center for the study of alpine rivers, attracting scholars and enthusiasts from all over Italy.
Ostana is proof that, with vision, patience, and a focused strategy, even the most remote villages can be reborn. Part of the “most beautiful villages in Italy“, today among its stone streets and majestic mountains, resounds the sound of life. Giacomo Lombardo’s project is not only a local success, but a message of hope for all the places that struggle against abandonment.
