May 9, 2025
Being born in Sicily means, sooner or later, facing a crossroads: to leave or to stay.
In recent years, Sicily has lost about 3.4% of its population, with a trend that, according to Istat data, could lead to a further decline of 12.6% by 2042. The severe demographic decline and progressive abandonment have multiple causes: low birth rates, but above all the lack of job opportunities and essential services drive emigration to northern Italy or abroad. The inland areas, rural and mountainous regions like the Etna area, are particularly affected by this phenomenon, with a gradual emptying that threatens the survival of local communities and traditional agricultural practices.
In recent years, the concept of "restanza" has taken on a deep and current meaning for territories marked by strong depopulation. Restanza refers to the attitude of those who, despite adversity, choose to stay in their land of origin with the intention of improving and regenerating it. An act of resistance and resilience that opposes depopulation.
In a sector like agriculture, where generational renewal struggles to take root, this concept becomes crucial. In this context, the stories of Roberto and Davide, farmers in the Boniviri network, tell an alternative version and are testimonies of restanza, courage, and rootedness.
Roberto Carbone is a farmer and guardian of the scents and aromas of Etna, who after graduating in food science and technology, turned his “open-air laboratory” among medicinal plants, herbs, and native spices. In 2018, Roberto began dedicating himself to this rich biodiversity heritage in Trecastagni (CT), in the heart of the Etna National Park. Here he started his unconventional project, SARI, of which he is the founder and first-generation farmer.
Roberto’s project began to grow; alongside the land on the slopes of Etna, a processing laboratory was added where herbal teas and infusions are made. The collaboration with Boniviri started with these products and found fertile ground in Roberto’s vision of responsible agriculture and the enhancement of local heritage.
Davide Scaravilli’s story of restanza would have skipped a generation if it weren’t for the call of Etna that brought him back from New York to the Nebrodi Mountains. Faced with his personal crossroads between staying in the United States or returning to Sicily, Davide decided to come back to manage his grandparents’ farm and build a life among the olive trees where he grew up and where the Garbato and the Boniviri selection monocultivar Ogliarola Messinese and Nocellara dell’Etna are produced.
Their stories show that staying is not only an act of courage but also a valuable choice to regenerate territories and communities.
