Deliceto: a village as a living being

Alternative regenerative development models through indigenous wisdom

Claudia Laricchia

What if we approached territories with indigenous lenses, evaluating the potential of regenerative development models? What if we continued to use usual indicators such as SDGs, ESG criteria, GDP, or tourism revenues, but first defined a compass rooted in ancestral wisdom? This is the question I explored during a press tour in Deliceto, a small town in northern Apulia, near Foggia.

Perched about 600 meters above sea level, Deliceto has around 3,500 residents, with an average per capita income of roughly twelve thousand euros, one of the lowest in the region. Despite its size, the town is rich in culture: ancient stones, vibrant rituals, hospitable communities, libraries nestled into colorful caves, a worldwide popular Christmas song written 280 years ago (From Starry Skies Descending – Tu scendi dalle stelle) by Alfonso Maria De Liguori and the living nativity scene, celebrated for over forty-five years, which embodies itself the concept of a village as a living being.

Yet, Deliceto faces ten pressing challenges common to rural towns: depopulation, aging population, youth out-migration, limited economic diversification, employment scarcity, infrastructure gaps, reduced access to services, climate stress, under-utilization of cultural heritage, and limited governance capacity.

Walking through the streets, observing abandoned houses alongside thriving cultural practices, I felt a profound sense of a living, breathing territory. Deliceto is like a tribe, where ancestors, fertile soil, infinite fields, and mountains converge, creating a space of energy, memory, and potential. People spoke of strategies to attract wellbeing, economy, and tourism, but to me, the real answer lies in listening to this living being, identifying its strengths, identity, and power to be unleashed in its own way.

This reflection led me to the impressive work of Dr. Saša Božić, G100 Global Chair for Indigenous Communities and Integration, author of One World, One Family. Through a journey across eleven indigenous tribes in one year, she distilled eleven timeless character strengths that bridge ancient wisdom and modern life: authenticity, respect, diversity and inclusion, persistence, courage, serenity, resilience, loyalty, creativity, storytelling, humble pride, and interconnectedness.

Applying these principles to Deliceto – as one iconic possible example – allows us to approach its challenges as a living being with needs and potential. Depopulation should be addressed through authenticity and interconnectedness. The village already fosters place-based identity, connecting residents through its four religious brotherhoods (confraternite) and local stories. How many community-led projects exist to retain residents? Is there a bottom-up approach or a give-back to locals? How can courage and creativity be applied? Where are writers, artists, digital nomads once public wifi is available, and which parts of history should be shared with students, researchers, and experts? Deliceto is an outdoor school with endless lessons for those who can learn them.

An aging population requires serenity and loyalty. Support for older residents through mindfulness, intergenerational programs, and strong community bonds preserves cultural memory. Are our ancestors a challenge or an opportunity for intergenerational learning? The northern concept of the silver economy might not fully capture the potential of including all people of this living village.

Youth out-migration can be addressed with courage and creativity. Empowering young people to innovate locally, explore entrepreneurship, and engage in mentorship from those who left the town creates bridges of opportunities and reconnects them with their roots.

Limited economic diversification calls for resilience and creativity. Encourage eco-tourism, sustainable agriculture, agrifood technologies, and local crafts. Resilience ensures adaptation to changing markets and environments. Deliceto is an outdoor school where knowledge exchange can happen in open labs.

Employment scarcity requires persistence and humble pride, combined with attentive listening to the village, full of opportunities, natural resources, and potential experiments. Sustained skill development, including soft skills, small enterprises, and local initiatives foster dignity and ownership in work. Villages like Deliceto embody care through community, nature, and outdoor activities and this is an opportunity itself considering the current figures of mental health.

Infrastructure gaps require interconnectedness, diversity, and inclusion. Improving physical and digital connectivity while considering systemic impacts strengthens networks and ensures all voices are heard. Same for reduced access to services, which requires respect, diversity, and inclusive service design for diverse needs, respecting differences and ensuring equitable access to health, education, and social programs.

Climate stress requires courage and resilience. Sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, and urban planning help the community adapt to environmental shocks. Technology, education, and nature-based solutions support adaptation, while connections with incubators and accelerators create mutual opportunities. Who is the solution holder if not the village itself?

Under-utilization of cultural heritage requires storytelling and authenticity. How can the village authentically strengthen identity and attract sustainable tourism? Which hidden stories are worth sharing, to whom, and why?

Limited national governance capacity requires loyalty and persistence. Building trust in institutions, committing to long-term projects, and sustaining efforts secure funding and implement regenerative initiatives.

By applying these eleven principles to specific challenges, Deliceto is not at all a collection of abandoned houses, but a living entity where human stories, traditions, and relationships interact with the land and the ancient memory of an open space for soul. Authenticity, respect, creativity, interconnectedness, and the other principles guide listening, care, and co-creation, unlocking regenerative potential. This preliminary approach drives clearer the consequent actions to be implemented. 

Ancient character strengths, born from lives in harmony with nature, illuminate hidden potential and guide interventions that are sustainable and human-centered. Applying this lens to Deliceto and other territories redefines development: from purely economic or infrastructural models to approaches that respect the life, identity, and memory of the place.

Deliceto is a living organism, a tribe, and a space of memory, creativity, and regeneration, ready to thrive in rhythm with its inhabitants and the natural world. That’s what we could say for the entire globe, because – as indigenous wisdom suggests -, land is alive, nature is a living being and we are just a little part of it.

Claudia Laricchia, Women Economic Forum Italy – Public Affairs Director; SMILY Academy, President; Global Forum of Indigenous Peoples’ Climate Justice Forum, Head of Strategic International Cooperation; European Institute of Innovation for Sustainability and Rome Business School, Professor.  Claudia is the Correspondet of Mahabahu

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