2 - Minu.ti (Giulia Costa and Virginia Piombino)

by Giulia Costa and Virginia Piombino

Minucciano, a small village in the province of Lucca with its 1,800 inhabitants and extraordinary landscapes, is experiencing a gradual depopulation due to the lack of essential services and limited economic diversification. What makes places like this special is the strong sense of community and the slower pace of life compared to urban contexts: the closeness to nature and the distance from services make life much slower and very different from the fast rhythms of the city.

To counteract isolation and enhance the area's unique qualities, Minu.ti was born—a digital platform that aims to tell the story of Minucciano through the voices of its residents, the narration of its historical and cultural heritage, and the promotion of new tourism and job opportunities. As the project's name suggests, the narrative of this Garfagnana village unfolds around the concept of time in all its shades: the time of the people, of nature, and that experienced by visitors.

The platform is structured around two main axes: narration and opportunity. The narrative section collects direct testimonials from Minucciano's residents, who share their view of the village through their personal stories or how they spend their time there, along with tips about places and people for visitors. Through these stories, Minu.ti offers an authentic portrait of the village, highlighting the value of slow living and community life. Nature – especially marble – emerges in the narrative as a positive element that teaches us to slow down and listen to the world around us and to ourselves.

At the same time, the platform promotes tourism, work, and volunteer activities, with the goal of creating a bridge between the present and future of Minucciano. On the one hand, it highlights existing initiatives; on the other, it proposes new ideas to attract visitors and encourage the involvement of young people and professionals interested in investing in the area. Minu.ti thus offers a bridge between those who wish to discover, inhabit, or actively contribute to the village and the concrete opportunities it can offer.

The project is structured not only through an online platform where users can choose how to spend their time, but also through social media channels that aim to showcase the people and the territory, communicating it to a wider audience. Through a dynamic and engaging digital narrative, Minu.ti aims to restore centrality to Minucciano, showing that slowness is not a limitation, but a value—one that can help build a more sustainable, mindful future in balance with the past.