Rural communities are suffering increasing pressure due to several local and global, socio-economic, environmental and institutional changes. Despite the challenges, however, the focus on rural resilience for sustainable, endogenous development is increasing drastically. We aim to understand the factors which enable rural resilience by assessing an emblematic case of two bordering, rural areas, the capacity of which for resilience is remarkably diverse. We approached the study using a

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... e methodology, based on data collection taken from interviews and focus group with an indicator framework to assess their capacity for resilience. Factors of resilience clearly emerged from the results, and consistent qualitative evidence demonstrated the relevance of rural identity.