If you live in the hills of Abruzzo, your car is essential. There are no subway lines or fast buses here. People depend on their cars to buy groceries, get to work, or drive their children to school.
That’s why panic set in when the sole gas station in Valle Castellana announced it was shutting down.
This small mountain town in the Gran Sasso region has faced a lot. Ten years ago, it was one of the places hit hard by the 2016 Amatrice earthquake. People worked hard to rebuild and keep their town going. Losing their only gas station felt like too much.
When his town was in trouble, Mayor Camillo D’Angelo made a bold and progressive decision. Instead of letting the station close, the local government took over and ran it. They bought fuel directly and sold it without making a profit, cutting prices by up to 20 cents a litre.
Soon, drivers from nearby towns started coming to Valle Castellana to buy gas at fair prices.
It takes courage for a small-town mayor to face big companies. But small mountain villages should not have to solve these problems alone. Regional and national leaders need to support these communities.
For example, Abruzzo gives new families a €2,500 yearly grant to encourage them to move to rural mountain towns. This sounds helpful, but high gas prices can use up that support in just a few months of regular driving as you drive up and down the mountain to access services and get to work.
Addressing Oil’s $93 Billion in War Profits
While local mayors work to keep costs down for working people, large international oil companies are making record profits.
After the global market shock and fuel disruptions caused by the conflict involving Iran, eight of the world’s largest energy companies reported $93 billion in profits in just three months. This is almost double what they made during the same time last year. That means they earned over $700,000 every minute, while drivers in small towns struggled to pay for gas.
This is why six EU countries, including Italy, Germany, and Spain, are now calling for an EU-wide windfall tax on these large energy profits. The goal is to collect some of these extra profits and use them to help people who need to drive to work.
Valle Castellana has shown what real local leadership can do. Now, regional and national leaders should show the same courage and support Abruzzo’s mountain towns like this one with similar initiatives.
Author: Sam Dunham
Sam is a freelance SEO content creator and IGCSE Geography and English teacher in Rome. She also runs the Life In Abruzzo Cultural Association, sharing stories and insights about this captivating region. Alongside raising a teenager, Sam hosts guests at her family’s traditional home, the Little House of the Firefly in Abruzzo, offering a warm welcome and insider tips on local culture, food, and hidden gems.
