Gaiba is a village on the border of Rovigo and Ferrara provinces with 1000 inhabitants overlooking the banks of the river Po, the longest river in Italy. The village is located between Venice and Bologna, in a rural and agricultural-oriented area. The new administration of the municipality of Gaiba took the challenge of developing the village into several paths. The main motivation was the citizen's disappointment with the stagnation and inertia in the village, in addition to the feeling of being abandoned by local institutions. The village is facing several issues: lack of jobs, agricultural crisis, depopulation, and youth out emigration, but still with the social engagement and commitment the village is having, human capital is a great resource. As a consequence of every crisis, creativity and innovation are growing by considering local richness and open-mindedly seeking and taking inspiration from worldwide projects.
Community characteristics
Gaiba has a interesting location on the map near by several art cities and touristic hotspots, being next to the longest river in Italy, enriched by biodiversity and environment of the countryside, the village offers historical sites such as 16th-century-villa, four churches, 10-centuries monastery ruins, river docking, horse ranch, and unique tennis grass courts in Italy that can attract tourists, engage citizens into entrepreneurship activities, and increase attention on this area. Looking at the innovation in the Smart Village Network, we are aiming to perceive several targets based on the attention to the environment, sustainable tourism, community engagement and services, digital innovation and energy efficiency.
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