The game of Stù as an instrument for promoting the Montorio al Vomano area.
The goal of this paper is to develop an integrated communication project to enhance and promote the ancient game of Stù, an intangible asset identifying the cultural heritage of the territory and community of Montorio al Vomano.
Located in the Center Italian region of Abruzzo, the village has a population of less than 10,000. Its proximity to the epicentres of the seismic events which affected Central Italy in recent years, significantly contributed to the depopulation of the area, a phenomenon suffered by all obsolete forms of urbanisation, such as small villages and rural areas.
A field investigation, carried out in order to understand local culture and folklore, has brought to light identity peculiarities of the area of various kinds. Among these, the game of Stù can act as a vector able to nurture and reignite interest in Montorio al Vomano.
Today, the Stù and its variants are played with a specially designed card deck produced by the Bergamo-based company Masenghini. The Montoriese Stù has some unique gameplay features which make it a one-of-a-kind cultural asset.
By implementing a strategy of valorisation and promotion of this local identity asset, the project aims at consolidating the sense of belonging to the local community of Montorio al Vomano, thus providing a small contribution to the multidirectional process needed to stem the phenomenon of depopulation.
