4 June 2026 – Istituto Agrario “Cuppari”, San Placido Calonerò.
Participants: Comune di Messina, Fondazione Slow Food ETS, Istituto Agrario “Cuppari”, Fondazione Orcinus Orca, Fondazione Messina, ITS Albatros, IIS “Antonello” di Messina, Associazione NonSoloCibus.
On 4 June 2026, at the Istituto Agrario “Cuppari” in San Placido Calonerò, a presentation meeting was held for the INSPIRE project – INnovative Sustainable tourISm gRoundEd on agrobiodiversity – co-funded by the European Union under the Interreg Euro-MED 2021–2027 Programme.
The proceedings were opened by Dr Beatrice Briguglio, Project Manager for the Comune di Messina, who conveyed the greetings of Mayor Federico Basile and underlined the continuity of the Administration’s commitment to a project in which Messina is not merely the lead partner, but an active protagonist territory. Dr Rita Melita, RUP of the project, together with Dr Briguglio, presented the structure of the European partnership — 8 organisations across 5 Mediterranean countries — and the prospects for the local area.
Nino Mostaccio and Chiara Calarco of Slow Food ETS, INSPIRE’s methodological partner, described a Messina territory rich in local agricultural products, ancient knowledge and productive traditions that are not only a heritage to be safeguarded, but the concrete starting point for building an authentic and distinctive tourism offer. In this context, Mostaccio introduced the two core instruments of the project: the Living Labs, co-creation laboratories in which producers, tourism operators and local communities will work together to define experiential products and itineraries, and the INSPIRE Local Action Plan, the shared commitment that will ensure continuity to this process well beyond the project’s formal closure.
The meeting gave voice to all those present. Headmaster Piero La Tona and Prof. Leopoldo Moleti of the Cuppari Institute highlighted the role of the agricultural school as a living repository of traditional knowledge. Lino Monteleone of Fondazione Orcinus Orca presented the Montagne Sacre e Cammini dell’Uomo project as a potential synergy with INSPIRE, at the intersection of territory, walking routes and local identity. Marco Giunta of Fondazione Messina stressed the value of community cohesion as a prerequisite for tourism that generates lasting benefits. Antonina Sidoti, President of ITS Albatros, noted that new tourism professionals are already being trained and ready to enter this supply chain. Headmistress Daniela Pistorino of IIS “Antonello” highlighted the contribution that visual storytelling and creative communication can offer to the promotion of the territory. The institute, which includes a tourism studies curriculum, is a natural interlocutor for a project aimed at building a tourism offer rooted in local identity. Fabrizio Scaramuzza of NonSoloCibus recalled that the relational dimension is the true driver of any genuine participatory process.
The most significant moment was the collective reflection around the signing of the INSPIRE Local Pact: the shared commitment — by institutions, schools, associations and foundations — to ensure that the processes initiated do not end with the formal project closure on 31 December 2027, but become a permanent infrastructure for the sustainable development of the Messina territory.
The choice of venue was deliberate: the Istituto Agrario of San Placido Calonerò, with its fields overlooking the Peloritani mountains, is a setting where agrobiodiversity and education coexist on a daily basis. The next step will be the formal launch of the local Living Labs, in which stakeholders, producers and operators will work together to define the action plans that will contribute to positioning Messina as a sustainable tourism destination in the Mediterranean.
INSPIRE is co-funded by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Interreg Euro-MED 2021–2027 Programme – ID Euro-MED0401041 – CUP F49I25000250006.
#INSPIREproject #SustainableTourism #Agrobiodiversity #Mediterranean
