The Restoration of Religious Heritage as a Rural Development Strategy

Abstract

Rural development programs managed under the Leader Initiative approach aid in promoting the economic diversification of rural areas on the basis of substantially diverse measures. The restoration of religious heritage has the potential to be an interesting course of action within the development strategies adopted by local action groups in charge of managing these programs. The district of La Vera is used as a reference as it possesses all of the necessary characteristics to be considered a paradigmatic subject for the case study. This research intends to contrast the relevance that religious heritage restoration acquired within the development strategy adopted by this region. Based on this analysis, the last section of this work will attempt to assess the extent to which the implementation of the Proder Program in the district of La Vera conforms to the characteristics of a sustainable and endogenous rural development model. After analyzing both topics, this research aims to examine the extent to which the restoration of religious heritage can constitute a course of action consistent with the model of rural development proposed by this type of program.