The last Regional Assembly of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy in Sicily was held on January 31, 2026, at the Cittadella dell’Oasi di Troina (EN), an event that marked an important step in the process of valorization and sustainable development of Sicilian territories.
During the assembly, chaired by Michelangelo Giansiracusa, President of the Free Municipal Consortium of Syracuse and Mayor of Ferla (SR), a Memorandum of Understanding was officially signed between the Association of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy in Sicily and the Sicilian Agroecology Coordination.
The agreement was signed by Guido Bissanti, President of the Sicilian Agroecology Coordination, and by Michelangelo Giansiracusa himself, establishing a strategic collaboration aimed at the agroecological transition of the Sicilian village territories.
In the photo, in order: Guido Bissanti, President of the Sicilian Agroecology Coordination – Pietro Macaluso, Member of the Board of Directors, delegate for agriculture – Marisa Meli, Coordinator of the Technical Scientific Committee and promoter of the initiative – Michelangelo Giansiracusa, President of the Association of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy in Sicily.
The Protocol was created with the aim of supporting the Association’s member municipalities in a process of reforming their local agri-food systems, in line with the European Green Deal and the EU Farm to Fork and Biodiversity 2030 strategies, as well as with the Sicilian Regional Law on Agroecology (Regional Law 21 of July 29, 2021). The Sicilian Agroecology Coordination contributed to its drafting, upon a proposal by ARS (Regional Regional Assembly) Deputy Valentina Palmeri.
Under the agreement, the Sicilian Agroecology Coordination commits to providing:
– technical and scientific assistance for the agroecological transition through training, consulting, events, and awareness-raising initiatives;
– connections with research institutions and specialized organizations to facilitate the transfer of skills and know-how;
– preparation of documents and operational tools necessary for the concrete implementation of the transition processes.
Upon completion of its activities, the Coordination Committee will also issue the interested municipalities with a “City or Territory in Agroecological Transition” certificate, which will also be useful for promoting and positioning the villages in terms of environmental sustainability and product quality.
For its part, the Association of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy in Sicily is available to:
– promote and support the activities set forth in the Protocol, including through the organization of events, meetings, and thematic conferences;
– identify, in agreement with the Coordination Committee, pilot farms in the villages’ areas on which to test and concretely apply the principles of agroecology.
The agreement also provides for the Association to allocate specific financial resources to reimburse the activities carried out by members of the Sicilian Agroecology Coordination Committee.
The collaboration also looks to the future: the Coordination has expressed its willingness to support the Sicilian villages through multidisciplinary projects, involving associated researchers and agronomists, also in view of the Mediterranean Agroecology Congress (AEMED 2027), which will involve 23 Mediterranean countries and numerous international partners.
The signing of the Memorandum therefore represents a concrete step towards a more sustainable territorial development model, capable of combining environmental protection, valorization of local identities, and revitalization of the rural economies of Sicilian villages.
