Amabili Confini

Amabili Confini is a social regeneration project based in Matera, Italy, using storytelling and shared cultural experiences to bring neighbourhoods and communities together. Conceived by Francesco Mongiello and organised by the Amabili Confini Social Promotion Association, it places residents at the heart of a participatory process that encourages connection, inclusion and local cultural growth. The initiative aims to make literature accessible beyond elite boundaries, giving people from diverse backgrounds a platform to express their experiences and emotions.

Participants include residents of Matera and nearby towns, students, refugees, people facing social hardship, young people in care homes and inmates at Matera’s prison. Their short stories and poems are collected in themed anthologies, alongside work from a student writing contest. The project also organises cultural events and literary encounters, including Scrittori allo Specchio, a series featuring translators discussing the major books they have worked on.

Through partnerships and community participation, Amabili Confini fosters dialogue across generations and helps transform urban peripheries into places of shared meaning, beauty and memory