Via Fondazza in Bologna has become the first “social street” in Italy.
The idea originates from a Facebook group, Residenti in Via Fondazza (Via Fondazza residents), established in September. The goal is to socialize with neighbors living on the same street to establish a social connection, exchange information, help each other, develop projects for the common interest, and therefore benefit from a deeper social interaction.
In Bologna, it all began with Federico Bastiani, a resident of Via Fondazza in the historic center, who, upon realizing that he didn’t know anybody on his street despite having lived there for years, decided to open a Facebook group and to print flyers to put up on the street for those who didn’t have access to the Internet.
It was an immediate success: residents started helping each other by contributing with their resources or skills. Someone offered to go grocery shopping for the elderly, a woman let students who were looking for a Laundromat use her washing machine, another resident offered private tutoring for middle-school students, the neighborhood cinema and local osteria implemented discounts for residents. Last Saturday, they held the first social dinner: those living at number 9 of Via Fondazza invited over those living at number 87.
The Bologna group now counts more than 250 members and other cities in Italy are looking to replicate the social experiment.
