Cultural Landscapes and Paths of Memory: Instruments of Development for Territories and Communities

The paths of faith as pilgrimage destinations very often combine the most famous religious value with interesting connotations from an environmental, landscape and naturalistic point of view. This is the case of the historic destination of the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Montagna in Polsi in Aspromonte, for a long time place of devotion and faith, and at the same time a site full of forest and environmental dimensions. This means that the paths and mountain roads along the religious itineraries can concern the same sales tools with the aim of giving back to the existing communities, often forgotten testimonies of history and shared memory, fragments of life, literature and art. The purpose of the contribution was to examine the role of pilgrimage in the creation of value and identity, in a dual path, together with faith and redemption of local communities of places long contaminated and subjugated to the presence of the 'ndrangheta, to promote virtuous processes of economic and social legality and to support the Aspromonte in a path of sustainable development, solidarity economy, responsible tourism, and ethics.agro-food production.