Gran Paradiso National Park - Valle d’Aosta Autonomous Region

As the Aosta Valley is a mountainous region, it is difficult to provide adequate services and to maintain the population in the valleys, especially in the small villages, and to foster their economic development, particularly in tourism.

New technologies offer an opportunity for the local development of territories, to populate/repopulate mountain areas through new jobs and professions that can be carried out remotely. This has given rise to the phenomena of remote work and digital nomads. A further possibility is offered by technologies to develop the active participation of the population through citizen science and other e-citizenship activities. Finally, technology can contribute to the digital transformation of local culture and identity by transmitting and at the same time transmuting local knowledge.

Main focus

Natural Parks

Challenges addressed

  • Develop and test the Smart Community approach and how to exploit technologies to strengthen local Alpine identity, where there is a strong heritage/connection with the natural resources of the territory: the case of Communities living in National Parks (Lighthouse test area) and regional parks/protected areas (Follower test area).

Pilot solutions

1) “Workcation” for digital nomads: exploring new interactions between work and holiday time for workers and tourists, developing a concept for a new model of hospitality in natural and protected areas that favors the creation of new potential digital workers and the development of related coworking spaces; 

2) Digital technologies to promote local products and their authenticity: explore the interaction between tourists/habitants/producers, promote and communicate local and protected area products, exploiting digital technologies for the promotion, tracking and creation of short supply chains; 

3) Active involvement in the protection of natural resources and Participatory Science: exploring the interaction between natural areas and their inhabitants to involve them in biodiversity protection and awareness-raising, e.g. through initiatives using apps for biodiversity monitoring (e.g. iNaturalist); 

4) Community and cultural heritage: exploring the possible interactions between older and newer generations to defend and hand down the cultural heritage of communities through digitization supporting the elderly population in using new digital technologies and access to PA services; 

5) Digitally connected shared spaces: to explore the possible interactions between physical and digital spaces and how it is possible to provide the population with places where on the one hand they can receive support for services and practices in digital mode, and on the other hand these places can also be points where innovative practices can be implemented.