A little more than a year ago, news broke that the Italian Senate had approved a new national Mountain Law [1], which I also introduced in a previous article. The project — ambitious in scope — aimed to outline the idea of a living mountain: a territory to inhabit, manage, and enhance. A complex ecosystem made of people, forests, meadows, economies and resources.

Today, with Law no. 131 of 12 September 2025 – “Provisions for the recognition and promotion of mountain areas” – all of this has become reality. But is everything that glitters really gold?

Let’s follow the text of the law and try to understand it more deeply.

Title I – General Provisions

Within ninety days from the entry into force of this law […] the criteria for classifying mountain municipalities shall be defined on the basis of altitude and slope parameters.

The concept here is simple: establishing the criteria used to classify “mountain municipalities”. However, two immediate critical issues emerge: the need for additional regulatory actions to actually define these criteria, and the restriction to altitude and slope alone.

It should also be noted that this geomorphological classification essentially derives from Law 991/1952, which already defined “mountain municipalities” as those with 80% of their area above 600 m a.s.l. and a vertical elevation difference greater than 600 m, along with specific land productivity parameters.

Nothing revolutionary, then — except for the fact that the new law once again allows the classification and updating of the list of “mountain municipalities”, something no longer possible after the repeal of Article 1 of Law 991/1952 in 1990 [2].

Title II – Strategic Planning, Resources and Monitoring

The Strategy for the Italian Mountain (SMI) identifies, through strategic guidelines and within the limits of the resources of the Fund referred to in Article 4, the priorities and directives of policies for mountain areas […]

The articles contained here specify the establishment of a dedicated fund of 200 million euros per year for the 2025–2027 period, aimed at financing actions for the protection and promotion of environmental resources in mountain territories, habitats, agro-silvo-pastoral activities, socio-economic initiatives, communication, and measures to reduce depopulation. In addition, the introduction of the SMI provides a clear framework for the purpose and scope of the actions arising from the law.

Title III – Public Services

This section defines the individual incentives and development projects designed to encourage the introduction and retention of healthcare professionals, teachers, and educators in mountain areas, as well as measures for establishing courts in disadvantaged areas, enhancing higher education, and improving communication services.

Figure 1:The enhancement of mountain areas is not achieved through tourism alone, but above all through stable services for residents and the fight against depopulation. Tibetan bridge in Valli del Pasubio (Vicenza, Italy). Photo: Author. 07.11.2021.