The Umberto Terracini Multifunctional Structure has been inaugurated after energy efficiency and solar energy production works
A technical-operational meeting was held today in Ventotene dedicated to the verification of the progress of the interventions financed under the PNRR Green Islands measure, the program of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security that allocates 200 million euros for integrated interventions for the small Italian islands.
The meeting was attended by the Prefect of Latina, the General Director of the MASE Stefania Crotta, the Mayor of Rieti and President of ANCI Lazio Daniele Sinibaldi, a delegation from ANCI Tuscany with representatives from the island of Capraia, the mayors of Ventotene and Ponza and the main stakeholders of the project, including ENEA and ENEL and the Polytechnic University of Turin.
The decisive role of ANCI Lazio
ANCI Lazio played a central role in the entire project, accompanying the island municipalities along the entire implementation process of the program. Secretary General Luca Masi detailed the activities carried out over the years to support local administrations: a comprehensive and continuous work that has made a difference in the ability of the municipalities to address the technical, administrative, and time-related complexity imposed by the PNRR. The contribution of ANCI Lazio proved crucial in bridging the gap between the available resources and the often under-resourced structures of small and medium-sized municipalities, ensuring concrete support at every stage of programming and implementation.
The President of Anci Lazio, Daniele Sinibaldi, delivered the greeting of the entire community of Lazio mayors, defining Ventotene and Ponza as a “successful and won bet” and strongly reiterating the need not to waste the accumulated wealth of skills and human capital: «The phase will begin of how to maintain what we have managed to build in the territories and how to relaunch even more, because the programs are not over. There is the new European programming, there is the new regional programming: we must be able to grasp the objectives.» Sinibaldi also reiterated ANCI Lazio’s commitment to continue playing this supporting role in the upcoming programming phases, so that the accumulated experience can become a structural model.
The “Umberto Terracini” Multifunctional Structure inaugurated”
A symbolic moment of the day was the inauguration of the Umberto Terracini Multifunctional Structure, subject to an important energy renovation project that has equipped the building with a photovoltaic system of 80 kWh. The inauguration represented a concrete example of how the interventions of the Green Islands program translate into tangible results for local communities.
The round of construction sites
The Mayor of Ventotene, accompanied by the technical team, guided the attendees on a tour of the active construction sites on the island, illustrating the work carried out to date and the works still under completion. This was an opportunity to see first-hand the progress of the projects and the operational challenges related to the specific characteristics of the island context.
The Ventotene Model and the Role of the Prefecture of Latina
The Prefect of Latina outlined the operational method adopted by the Prefecture to support the implementing entities: starting in May 2024, the Prefectures were equipped with PNRR coordination booths, tools that have allowed them to monitor critical issues, develop targeted action plans, and support the territorial authorities in compliance with community deadlines. The model developed in the Pontine area — based on monitoring sheets, thematic tables, and continuous dialogue — was identified as a good practice to be extended to other insular contexts.
MASE: encouraging results, targets will be met
MASE Director General Stefania Crotta expressed a generally positive assessment of the progress of the Green Islands measure at the national level, confirming that the results are encouraging and that the planned targets will be achieved. She invited all the involved municipalities to continue with renewed commitment the work until the conclusion of the PNRR, emphasizing that each completed intervention represents not only a goal achieved, but a concrete and lasting transformation for the island communities. Satisfaction with the achieved results was also expressed by the Prefect of Latina, who acknowledged the extraordinary commitment shown by the local administrations in conditions that were not always easy.
Bilateral tables: maximum support to overcome the critical issues
The day concluded with bilateral tables dedicated to the islands of Ventotene, Ponza, Isola del Giglio and Capraia, with the aim of examining in detail the specific challenges of each territory and ensuring the maximum possible support in the final phase of the implementation of the interventions. This was a direct and operational exchange of views that demonstrates the Ministry and the involved institutions’ attention to the concrete needs of each individual island reality.
