The story of a young Sicilian, Gabriele Dodeci. The passion for his land and his job shows how southern realities are taking action to contain the reverse migration phenomenon and to create new projects.
In Sicily, in fact, there have been announcements and opportunities to allow young people not to migrate from their towns, obtaining useful resources to conquer their dreams and continue to keep Southern Italy alive.
“I stay in the South”
facevo ilThe little more than thirty-year-old Gabriele Dodeci lives in San Marco d’Alunzio, a small
town in the province of Messina. Not only does he live there, but he has managed to make his dream come true and open a business on site, thanks to his announcement “I stay in the South”. Here is his story.
“I’m happy to live in Sicily – says Gabriele – San Marco d’Alunzio is a town of Nebrodi, of only 1800 inhabitants. In this Southern situation, many young people have moved in bigger cities like Messina and Palermo, to have more amenities. Otherwise, they went to live in Northern Italy or abroad, attracted by universities and well-paid jobs. This choice has led to depopulation in small coastal villages and, even more, rural villages, transforming them in just a meeting point for the summer.
I have always believed in the potential of my land: I work for the Tre60lab Association of which I am president, to bring young people's attention back in our towns with urban regeneration events. Not only: thanks to the “I stay in the South” announcement, focused on youth start-ups, I’ve had the opportunity to change my life. I used to work in my father’s construction company as a bricklayer; my dream was to have a connection with nature and
bees, but I didn’t know where to start.
Everything changed when I met with the doctors Totaro, from Messina, who spoke about the announcement “I stay in the South”. From that moment I understood that they were supposed to be my future consultants and that I could carry out my project, which involved the creation
of a honey extraction laboratory with the almost extinct black Sicilian bees”.
A project for Southern bees
“When we presented the project – continues Gabriele – I immediately felt that everything would be okay. By 2018 I had already started my first investment, buying the first swarms of black bees. On the 9th of July 2019 I received a pec notification on my mobile phone, from “I stay in the South”: “Referring to your admission application to the I stay in the South facilities, we inform you that the evaluation ended with a positive result”.
I felt a mix of emotions, happiness, worry, anxiety: to me it represented a new starting point where I could finally express myself. From that day I started my laboratory; beginning from zero I learned to know the bees, to understand the phases of their life and their work. Thehoney has become my flagship product and with it I have created soaps, creams, experimenting and having fun creating alchemies.
It wasn’t easy at first: although I had attended various beekeeping courses, I was still lacking information. The FAI Association (Italian Beekeepers Federation) has been useful to help me approach the job and dedicate myself to the black bees. This type of bee is an autochthonous
Sicilian species, that has arrived millions of years ago from Africa and in Sicily it was almost extinct. Thanks to a group of beekeepers it has been reintroduced and today we try to preserve it, as it can withstand the most difficult conditions.
From projects for young people more opportunities and attention to our planet
“My project – explains Gabriele – has been of great importance also to raise awareness among young people in the South of Italy, on the great role played by bees and the speed with which our climate is changing. The beekeepers’ role is important and their presence can
really determine the structure of our ecosystem.
My activity allows me to understand the behaviour of the bee, supporting it, to make it live as naturally as possible. I could define my method as innovative by returning to tradition, without use of pesticides. I use the “spazio mussi” technique, I concentrate the brood space in
a bigger one, in order to warm it up and fight the varroa, that kills the young bees.
This is what I love to do: you don’t need to go far to make your dreams come true. Now I have reached the final stages of the announcement: soon I will finally be able to sell the honey of my “black Sicilian bees” in various shops and continue this tradition. Moreover, not only in the South of Italy, but all over the world, the bees are dying out, due to pesticides and the constant climate change. Just as I am telling you my story, the city of Catania is
completely flooded, and the South of Italy devastated by torrential rain. Calls and projects similar to mine, could change not only the South of Italy, but create a network with all the other European countries, bringing out young people and keeping them rooted in their land.”
New opportunities for young people of the South“In the South of Italy something is changing – concludes Gabriele – even though I see a very slow change for the younger generation: not for the absence of opportunities, those are there and in large numbers; but for younger people who are afraid to get involved, to risk. Covid for many of my peers has been a push to come back to Sicily, but without any goals or new projects, it’s inevitable to live in the perspective that the North of Italy and Europe in general is more attractive.
I have the good fortune to know many boys and girls that have stayed here in Sicily, full of energy; they all believe in the potential that even the smaller towns have to offer. Some have participated to the announcement “I stay in the south” and have won, others are investing
their savings in start-ups to revitalize our Sicilian towns.”