The role of peripherality in the spread of pandemic: evidence from Basilicata (Southern Italy) during the first wave of COVID-19

The first wave of COVID-19 arrived in Europe in February 2020, firstly impacting Italy, especially in the most economically advanced areas of the country, mainly located in the northern-central part of the peninsula. In general, the effects of pandemic in Italy outlined sharp differences across a latitudinal gradient. This paper focuses on Basilicata, an inner region of Southern Italy, connecting its peripherality, according to the SNAI (National Strategy for Inner Areas) classification, with its involvement in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the analysis of the number of infected people and deaths and the investigation of socio-economic and environmental data, we observed a low impact of the contagion in the first wave, supporting the thesis that some territorial and socio-economic features of this inner area (such as the specific settlement morphology and environmental conditions or the sparse infrastructural fabric, as well as the social model for the care of frail people) have somehow acted as a barrier for the spread of the virus. Our results suggest that the SNAI scheme could be overly rigid in certain cases due to the significance of highly local factors. Furthermore, while connectivity is valued in its own right, the observation of pandemic spread underscores the need to promote new territorial structures that not only foster environmental balance but also transform structural vulnerabilities into protective assets. • Italy was heterogeneously impacted by Covid-19. • Basilicata (Southern Italy) is prevalently characterized by inner areas. • Settlements in Basilicata shape a rather wide mesh. • Mobility does not take a diffuse form. • Socio-economic fragilities acted as a barrier for the spread of the virus.