The impact of the widespread reception of migrant families on rural Italian communities: Understanding the main challenges and opportunities

The phenomenon of migration has become a central issue in the global demographic landscape. The integration of migrants into the host country and cohabitation within rural communities represent a moment of change for both the host community and newcomers. This study investigates a northwestern rural area in Italy where, for over 10 years, reception centers have been active, offering services to immigrant beneficiaries and managed by the third sector organization to facilitate access to local resources and promote acculturation and integration processes. The aim of this work is to evaluate the impact of the widespread reception project in the northwestern rural area in Italy by exploring the perspectives of the host community in order to understand their perceptions regarding the opportunities and challenges on processes of acculturation and integration. Two focus groups were conducted. Thematic analysis of the transcripts identified two main themes. The first theme "Challenges of widespread reception in the process of acculturation" includes issues perceived by participants as barriers to migrants' participation in the social life of the host community. The second theme, "Opportunities of widespread reception", highlights positive aspects supporting migrants’ adaptation in the local context, including factors that facilitate integration, utilitarian forms of integration, and structural aspects that support integration processes. The study suggests improving coordination between local institutions and social policies, with concrete actions to promote reception pathways based on the specific needs of rural areas.