€810 for "Strade in Gioco": 27 municipalities funded to bring young people back to the streets.

Rome – An €810 investment to free children and adolescents from screens and bring them back to playing freely in the streets and squares of cities. This is the goal of the "Strade in gioco" initiative, promoted by the Italian Authority for Children and Adolescents (AGIA), which selected and funded 27 Italian municipalities with grants of €30 each.

Launched last September, the call for proposals is inspired by English "play streets," urban areas temporarily closed to traffic to encourage spontaneous, unstructured play activities. "The idea is to offer minors opportunities for offline social interaction, concrete alternatives to their dependence on virtual environments and the negative dynamics of the web," explained Marina Terragni, the Italian Data Protection Authority.

"We've supported projects that can be replicated in other cities, creating free and spontaneous play experiences nationwide." The initiative aims to combat post-pandemic digital isolation by encouraging real interactions between peers, families, and local communities.

The approved projects include creative and inclusive interventions: from the creation of giant games like chessboards, hopscotch, mazes, and spirals painted on the asphalt, to collective works like murals and street art created with the participation of children, parents, and artists.

Many municipalities will install dedicated street furniture, specific signage, themed corners with musical instruments, book-crossing huts, and outdoor games. All affected spaces will be closed to traffic permanently or periodically to ensure safety and freedom of movement. Beneficiaries are municipalities with populations between 10 and 200 and a population density of at least 1.500 residents per square kilometer.

Here is the list, sorted by region:

Abruzzo: Pescara.
Campania: Cardito (Naples), Casoria (Naples), Ercolano (Naples), Gragnano (Naples), Monte di Procida (Naples), Nocera Inferiore (Salerno), Nocera Superiore (Salerno), Pozzuoli (Naples), Quarto (Naples), San Marcellino (Caserta), Santa Maria Capua Vetere (Caserta), Santa Maria La Carità (Naples).
Friuli-Venezia Giulia: Monfalcone (Gorizia), Udine.
Lazio: Marino (Rome).
Liguria: Chiavari (Genoa), La Spezia.
Lombardy: Brescia, Cassano Magnago (Varese), Cesano Boscone (Milan), Malnate (Varese), Ospitaletto (Brescia), Saronno (Varese).
Marche: Porto San Giorgio (Fermo).
Sicily: Aci Catena (Catania).
Tuscany: Viareggio (Lucca).

Agia hopes these examples will inspire other local governments to replicate the model, expanding opportunities for healthy growth for young people in a digital age. The projects must be implemented within the next few months, with monitoring of their social impact and community participation.