Italy Tells Permet

Mountains embraced Përmet, with snow in winter, woods in summer. The
town was safer then Vlora, Tirana or Durres. Emigration and crime were
desperate solutions against poverty, but a rural rebirth was clearly possible.
In 1997 the Ngo Cesvi, funded by the Italian Cooperation, started working
in the South of Albania focusing on the emergency sector: health care, water
and sanitation, assistance to the refugees from Kosovo. In 2004, Cesvi became
officially a local association: Cesvi Albania.
“Living side by side, people for people,
Italians and Albanians on the ground
had a new dream: change.”
The assets of the area haven’t changed. Përmet had natural beauty to discover,
food tradition to taste, welcoming people to meet. Treasures to rely on. But too
many times Albanians had been brothers of foreigners, foreigners of brothers.
In 20 years of Cooperation with Italy, Përmet, around 10.000 citizens, has
proved to have a partecipatory, active and creative community. The number of
tourists is steadily increasing. It raised up to 25.000 in 2018. At the beginning,
citizens desired to leave, now international travellers plan to visit the region.
It wasn’t as easy, as talk. Together we walked, following a shared path. The
Italian Cooperation funded the creation of a Consortium: Pro Përmet. Families
and small private companies joined in, bringing traditional know how
and innate proactivity. Cesvi, No Profit associations and the municipalities of
Përmet and Kelcyre were part of it. Also Italian partners, like Slow Food, Local
Action Groups and Responsible Tourism associations contributed with their
best practises and know how. A local develpment strategy for the region was
approved.