Back to the small villages. Critical issues and prospects for a post-covid re-appropriation of built heritage in the marginal internal areas in Lombardy

In the COVID-19 emergency, small villages have become the focus of debate regarding a renovated living model, distant from metropolitan areas’ density across Europe. These reflections brought to light the discussion around a possible return to the small villages and marginal areas, pointing out the beneficial aspects: the possibility of living in places with a great sense of community, usable open green spaces, and lower density. But is a return really possible if the structural conditions of these places do not change? The prolonged and still unresolved pandemic has perhaps changed its perception and attracted interest. Even the conditions that led to its depopulation have not changed: the digital divide, distance from primary services (education, health, mobility), and economic stillness are critical points still waiting for a coordinated and systematic answer in terms of policies. The paper wants to analyze the critical issues, and the opportunities arising from a possible return to marginal villages within the general framework outlined above and reflect on practical tools to evaluate these places’ potentialities, using as a case study the Lombardy region context, specifically the Lecco province.