The new classification of mountain municipalities, introduced by the implementing decree of the mountain law of 12 September 2025, has produced a disruptive effect: a drastic reduction of the territories officially recognized as mountain. In Italy we go from 4,201 to 2,844 Municipalities, with the exclusion of over a third of the administrations previously included. A change that immediately sparked political and institutional debate, transforming a technical reform into a truly national case.
The new criteria between numbers and geometries
The decree introduces three objective parameters based on altitude and slope of the territory. The main criterion requires that at least 25% of the municipal surface is above 600 meters and that 30% has a slope greater than 20%. Added to this is a second threshold linked to the average altitude above 500 metres, designed to include areas which, although not Alpine, suffer similar conditions. Finally, a third “residual” criterion recognizes the Municipalities included between territories already classified as mountainous, provided that they exceed 300 meters of average altitude.
Fewer municipalities, more resources?
According to the Government, the reduction of the list will allow resources to be concentrated in “genuinely mountain” areas, making interventions on health, education, work, businesses and housing more effective. The 7.8 million residents in the recognized municipalities represent approximately 13% of the population, distributed over over 40% of the national territory. However, the widespread fear is that the reform will produce new inequalities, leaving fragile territories uncovered only because they do not fit perfectly within the numerical parameters.
Uncem’s critical opinion
The main concern is raised by Uncem, the National Union of Mountain Municipalities and Bodies. President Marco Bussone speaks openly of a risk of division and institutional conflict. According to Uncem, the mountain cannot be reduced to a simple topographical question, because it is first of all a social, economic and territorial condition. Bussone proposes two possible corrective measures: an expansion of the criteria, reviewing thresholds and percentages, or a decentralized model, which allows the Regions to review the lists within 30 days, avoiding appeals and respecting the regional competences established by the Constitutional Court.
A reform that needs to be adjusted
The decree, still being discussed with the Council of State and the Unified Conference, risks becoming a regulatory mess rather than a structural solution. The challenge now is to find a balance between technical rigor and the reality of the territories, avoiding the mountain being divided for a few crumbs of resources instead of supported as a strategic asset of the country.
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