Resilience and Remote Working in the Heart of Tuscany
How Two Friends Are Building a Tech Hub Among the Hills of Casentino
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Poppi, Tuscany — The Casentino valley is not the first place you’d expect to find a high-tech innovation center. Nestled between dense forests and medieval towns, the valley is better known for its abbeys and castles than for satellite systems or structural monitoring technologies. But that’s exactly where two old friends, Paolo Mazzanti and Emanuele Del Monte, decided to plant the seeds of the Casentino Tech Hub Resilia, a space where advanced technology meets the quiet rhythm of rural Italy.
“We first met as kids playing football for Casentino Calcio,” Paolo laughs. “Years later, we found ourselves reconnecting not on the pitch but through our shared experience leading university spin-offs.”
Mazzanti, now a Professor of Geological Risks and Remote Sensing at Sapienza University of Rome, co-founded NHAZCA S.r.l., a spin-off specializing in monitoring landslides and infrastructure using cutting-edge remote-sensing systems and IntelligEarth S.r.l..
Del Monte, an engineer from Bibbiena, founded S2R S.r.l., an offshoot of the University of Florence focused on structural engineering and risk mitigation.
“We had been collaborating on projects related to seismic-risk mitigation for years, first locally, then across Italy,” Emanuele recalls. “Our professional paths kept crossing, and the idea of doing something lasting together began to grow.”
A Shared Vision and a Building with a Story
The first tangible step came when Mazzanti called Del Monte to visit an old building in Poppi, close to the small railway station.
“It was the former Consorzio Agrario del Casentino, a structure that had always caught my attention,” says Emanuele. “It had character and potential.”
Within months, the pair, joined by several colleagues, purchased the property and began shaping their idea. The result would become Casentino Tech Hub Resilia, CTH Resilia for short, a hybrid space hosting co-working areas, labs, and a 100-seat conference hall mainly dedicated to the themes of geotechnical monitoring, risk prevention, and resilience.
“I travel a lot for academic and business work,” Paolo says, “and I kept imagining a place that could host workshops and conferences like those in Rome or Washington, but surrounded by nature, a place where innovation could breathe. A place that bridges humans and the natural landscape, inviting the eye to reach beyond boundaries, as inspired by the vision of Adriano Olivetti, one of the most visionary Italian entrepreneurs.”
Resilia, the Name Says It All
The name “Resilia” emerged from a collaborative process among the teams at NHAZCA and S2R.
“We chose Resilia because it evokes resilience i.e. the capacity to adapt, to face challenges, to resist and recover,” Emanuele explains. “That’s exactly what we’re trying to do: to create something that thrives precisely because it’s in a remote area.”
Paolo nods in agreement.
“For years, when I spoke about hydro-geological risk and prevention, few people listened. Now, with climate change, aging infrastructure, and the visible fragility of our planet, everyone understands why resilience matters. Resilia is our way of responding scientifically, but also culturally.”
Building Innovation in a Remote, but authentic, Valley
In a space of roughly 750 square meters, CTH Resilia will host:
a multifunctional conference hall for up to 100 people,
200 m² of co-working and open-innovation areas,
dedicated offices for the two founding companies, and
technological laboratories for structural and environmental monitoring.
We are now approaching the end of a long and complex journey, one that has faced its share of challenges and obstacles. Yet, each step has brought the project closer to reality. With the arrival of 2026, the vision should finally take tangible shape, marking the official inauguration of the Casentino Tech Hub.
“We’ve encountered plenty of hurdles along the way, bureaucracy, inefficiency, and the usual Italian red tape,” Paolo smiles. “But after all, we’re called Resilia, so giving up was never an option.”
Beyond its scientific and entrepreneurial focus, CTH Resilia will also open its doors to digital nomads and remote professionals seeking to experience authentic Tuscany while they work. The co-working spaces, bright, modern, and overlooking the medieval castle of Poppi, will offer the perfect balance between productivity and inspiration.
Set in the heart of an area renowned for the Parco delle Foreste Casentinesi, one of Italy’s most pristine natural reserves, the Hub will allow visitors to work surrounded by forests, monasteries, and centuries-old stone villages, an environment where technology meets tranquillity.
But beyond schedules and setbacks, the ambition remains the same: to prove that Italy’s aree interne, the so-called “inner areas”, can become fertile ground for innovation.
“At the beginning, I had my doubts,” Emanuele admits. “Building a tech hub in a valley far from highways or airports isn’t easy. But the interest from local institutions, schools, local entrepreneurial community and the Parco delle Foreste Casentinesi convinced me we could make it happen.”
Paolo adds with a grin:
“If the community continues to believe in it, Casentino could become the Davos of environmental protection and infrastructure resilience. Dreaming big costs nothing, or almost nothing,” he laughs.
From the Local to the Global
Both NHAZCA and S2R operate internationally, from Italy’s major infrastructure projects to sites in Tajikistan, the United States, India, or Morocco. Yet both founders are deeply rooted in their homeland.
“Using the name Casentino was deliberate,” Paolo says. “This valley shaped who we are. It’s only right that its name travels the world through this initiative.”
Their collaboration, they both insist, goes beyond business. It’s about a shared ethos, one that connects scientific precision with a sense of place and belonging.
“We’ve always believed that innovation isn’t just about new tools,” Paolo says. “It’s about creating environments, physical and human, where people can think differently.”
The Future of Rural Innovation
CTH Resilia is more than a building; it’s a statement of possibility. As global conversations increasingly turn to sustainable development, local empowerment, and technological resilience, projects like this point to a new model: one where rural doesn’t mean remote, and where knowledge flows both ways, from cities to valleys, and back again.
“If Casentino can do it,” Emanuele says, “so can many other valleys around the world. The key is collaboration between science, community, and territory.”
In the fading light of a Tuscan afternoon, the old Consorzio Agrario building glows with the promise of rebirth. The future of innovation, it seems, might just echo from the heart of the Italian countryside.
Author’s Note
Casentino Tech Hub Resilia (CTH Resilia) is a technology and innovation center under construction in Poppi, Tuscany. Founded by NHAZCA S.r.l. and S2R S.r.l., the hub will host a co-working space, conference center, and applied research facilities focused on resilience, risk mitigation, and sustainable technologies. Expected opening: Early 2026.
More at www.cth-resilia.com
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