Is it possible to love Montalcinello—its history, its identity, its thousand-year community—beyond every political or personal divide, or the old Guelf and Ghibelline rivalries?
Yes, it is possible.
Is it possible to stop hurting each other, stop taking a subtle satisfaction in others’ failures, as if seeing an event fall flat or the village slowly fade could truly bring us joy. It is not joy: it is a collective defeat.
What we are living through, deep down, is a kind of silent civil war. And this war, in Montalcinello, must end and will end.
Like it or not, Montalcinello will return to being a gem, not only at regional level, but beyond. This is not a nostalgic illusion: it is a real possibility, rooted in its history. Once we minted coin, the Bishop chose us, we were a living, respected center, able to attract and create value. That past is not dead: it is a promise.
When, in September 2025, I wrote about the reasons to come live in Montalcinello, I mentioned a more hidden one, almost a secret. Today I can say it more clearly: Montalcinello has an international breath, and this breath can bring it back to a level of visibility and vitality that many today struggle even to imagine.
To those who row against, to those who take pleasure in slowing down, in criticizing, in dividing, I say: try to stop the wind.
And to those who remain still, indifferent, spectators, I recall Dante’s words about the ignavi. Standing by while Montalcinello empties out, while it loses pieces of its soul, is not neutrality: it is complicity with decline. If you truly love it, you cannot limit yourselves to watching.
It is time to roll up our sleeves.
It is time to build, not to sabotage.
It is time to collaborate, not to compete for nothing.
Montalcinello is not a board game on which to move pieces, buy squares, or play personal strategies.
It is a living community, fragile and precious.
And it deserves respect.
And it deserves commitment.
And it deserves a future.
Roar of the Pro Loco of Montalcinello (from Latin, literally «in favor of the place»), April 2026.
