2 Meeting - PARCO DEI PADULI

MULTIFUNCTIONAL RURAL GREEN AREA
PROVINCE OF LECCE, MUNICIPALITIES INVOLVED: SAN CASSIANO, BOTRUGNO, SURANO, NOCIGLIA, SUPERSANO, GIUGGIANELLO, SANARICA, MURO LECCESE, SCORRANO E MAGLIE, PUGLIA

Parco Paduli is located in the middle of the Salento peninsula in the Apulia region. The area, renowned since the 17th century for the production of lamp oil, gradually decayed, due both to an outmoded process of cultivation and the crisis in the agricultural sector. Parco Paduli is not an institutional project; the idea for the rural park spread from the grass roots with awareness arising from local participation in the idea of the common good. The results led to local residents starting to share awareness of its landscape value, with the surrounding municipalities directing their urban development strategies accordingly. The younger generations introduced a new rural awareness of this valuable land and ultimately this approach was taken into consideration as an experimental project to be added in the Puglia Region’s Landscape Territorial Plan. Parco Paduli has been selected as the official entry representing Italy for the 2014/2015 edition of the European Council Landscape Prize competition.