Small Town Renaissance. A Global Need, Not a Local Dream

The renaissance of shrinking small towns with historic landscapes is emerging as a significant contemporary trend, made possible by the digital transition and driven by new post-COVID lifestyles and forms of tourism that seek authentic, identity-rich landscapes. Revitalizing these “inner landscapes” is essential for humanity to preserve its rich and complex diversity, historical roots, and capacity to foster biodiversity through rural activities. Both cultural identity and environmental variety are threatened by globalization and urbanization. These forces, working in tandem, lead to depopulation and exacerbate environmental risks, as well as the loss of cultural heritage. Urbanization should not be accepted as irreversible; rather, it is a dynamic that can be reversed, and this reversal should be a priority in regional and urban planning. The urgency of this shift is heightened by the effects of climate change. A high level of digital accessibility, a conditio sine qua non for “rebooting” shrinking villages, must be supported by public policies that ensure pervasive access—not driven by market forces. To regenerate inner landscapes, the culture of local communities stands out as a vital resource. Rooted in an “identity environment”, these landscapes should remain “vital”—not to be consumed as museums or playgrounds, but actively maintained and lived in. The microidentity of Italian landscapes makes the country a valuable observatory for the regeneration of inland territories worldwide.