The Nuova Libbaneria Mediterranea is a social enterprise and cultural regeneration initiative based in Maratea, Southern Italy. The project revives and reinterprets the traditional production of libbani, handmade ropes woven from natural plant fibres that were historically used in Mediterranean coastal communities.
By fostering community participation through traditional craftsmanship, contemporary design, and experiential tourism, the initiative transforms a practice at risk of disappearing into an opportunity for cultural production, sustainable innovation and new ways of discovering the territory.
Supported by a network of local, Italian and European professionals spanning craftsmanship, design, culture, social innovation and community development, Nuova Libbaneria Mediterranea operates across four interconnected strands: training, crafts, tourism experiences and contemporary design through social residencies, which serve as a methodology for bringing traditional craftsmanship into dialogue with artistic practices and new forms of innovation. Through these exchanges, the knowledge embedded in the libbani tradition is reinterpreted, tested and developed into new products, experiences and learning opportunities, creating value for both local communities and visitors.
Craftsmanship as a shared community practice
Community participation is at the heart of Nuova Libbaneria Mediterranea. Through training activities and collaborative production, the initiative has brought together women from different backgrounds, including people experiencing social vulnerability, creating opportunities for mutual support, learning and creative expression.
The participants form a community of practice in which knowledge is exchanged through working together. The act of weaving becomes both a practical skill and a means of building relationships, strengthening confidence and developing a shared sense of belonging.
Traditional techniques and locally available natural materials, including the plant known as tagliamani, provide the starting point for a contemporary approach to sustainable craftsmanship.
Training and the development of a line of handcrafted products contribute to keeping this knowledge alive, while exploring new applications and possibilities for traditional weaving techniques.
Nuova Libbaneria Mediterranea brings local participants into contact with artists, designers and creative professionals through workshops, collaborative production and social residencies, creating opportunities for exchange between traditional craftsmanship, contemporary design and artistic experimentation.
The resulting objects and experiences are not simply products: they emerge from collaborative processes that connect personal stories, local identity and creative experimentation.
Experiential tourism: discovering a territory through making
Experiential tourism represents another key dimension of Nuova Libbaneria Mediterranea’s activities.
Through experiences connected to traditional weaving and local craftsmanship, the initiative offers visitors opportunities to discover Maratea’s cultural heritage through direct engagement with its materials, techniques and stories.
Rather than experiencing the territory only as spectators, visitors are invited to approach its traditions through hands-on activities, encounters and shared learning.
In this way, traditional craftsmanship becomes a bridge between the local community and visitors, creating opportunities for cultural exchange and promoting a form of tourism rooted in the identity, knowledge and resources of the territory.
Nuova Libbaneria Mediterranea offers a particularly relevant example of how craftsmanship, art and design can connect community participation, cultural heritage and experiential tourism.
Its experience provides a transferable model of co-creation that connects local communities with creative practitioners and visitors, while opening up new possibilities for cultural exchange, sustainable tourism and territorial development.
Location: Maratea, Basilicata, Italy
- https://nuovalibbaneriamediterranea.it/en/
- https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090980701470&locale=it_IT%2F
- https://www.instagram.com/nuova_libbaneria_mediterranea
pictures by Marco Deodati
