The Tuscan town of Asciano, located in the province of Siena against the backdrop of barren clay hills, known as the Crete Senesi, has just banned the creation of a proposed wind farm.
The Crete Senesi was once entirely underwater, and sea fossils can still be found in the grey soil, a reminder of the slow, natural transformations that shaped this landscape long before modern industry arrived.
The project, communicated directly by Italy’s Ministry of the Environment, proposed the installation of ten wind turbines stretching across ten kilometers between La Campana and San Martino in Grania. The area, famous for its endlessly stretching hills, olive groves, and wheat fields, is widely regarded as one of Tuscany’s most distinctive and photogenic terrains, representing a greatly loved tourist attraction. Asciano’s administration has voiced clear opposition, stating that they would be “ready to adopt every possible solution to prevent the construction of a plant”.
In response, the town has launched an environmental impact assessment, a mandatory process for large-scale projects that could have significant ecological effects. The goal, according to the administration, is to involve citizens, producers, and neighboring municipalities “to strengthen the opposition to a project that, if carried out, would irreparably damage a landscape that has become a symbol not only of Asciano but of all of Tuscany.”
Mayor Fabrizio Nucci has publicly condemned the lack of dialogue from national authorities, calling it “unacceptable to receive a project without any involvement from local stakeholders.” He criticized what he sees as the government’s “total absence of strategy on renewables,” arguing that such top-down decisions risk alienating communities whose economies depend heavily on tourism.
The conflict in Asciano reflects a broader tension across Italy and Europe between the push for renewable energy expansion and the need to preserve cultural landscapes that define local identity and attract global tourism. (Naysa Seth)
