Thousands of Italy’s beautiful villages are at risk of decaying away, with nearly 2,500 heading towards mass depopulation.
A report from environment agency Legambiente presented this week to Italy’s national council agency detailed 5,627 towns which have now have fewer than 5,000 residents. Of this 2,430 are being hit with a serious depopulation crisis.
The past 25 years have seen an average of one in seven occupants leaving. Italy’s extremely low birth rate, its emigration of younger people and the passing away of elderly residents is likely to result in many villages becoming ghost towns.
Some blame a lack of policies to help small, mountain communities, but solutions are not easy.
“When a town dies we're not just talking about about the loss of 500 people, or however many live there, we're talking about the loss of unique cultures and traditions, which are invaluable,” said Davide Zicchinella, mayor os Sellia in Calabria.
Last year he signed a decree forbidding Sellia residents from getting sick or dying – six in ten of the 573 inhabitants is over the age of 65.
He set up a free medical centre in Sellia and offered all inhabitants a local tax break if they went for a check-up.
“Our battle for survival also involves applying for governmental and EU funds so we can carry out works that bring income to the town. Hopefully we can use the increased revenue to improve other services and stop youngsters from leaving,” Ziccinella added.
Hoping to entice tourists, a zip wire has been installed above the town.
Other towns have also been eyeing up visitor potential. Civita di Bagnoreggio in Lazio has dubbed itself “The Dying Town” and charges €1.50 entrance. Funds raised go to essential services for its 100 residents.
Meanwhile, Santo Stefano di Sessanio in Abruzzo has been converted into a pricey hotel by an Italian cement millionaire. He was able to buy the whole village which had been abandoned in the 19th century when the local wool trade declined.
The success of the venture encouraged Italians to buy some dilapidated houses and turn them into weekend and holiday homes.
But rescuing old villages can be risky and documents are all. Bussana Vecchia in Liguria has been rescued twice. First in 1947 by migrant workers from the south of Italy who squatted in a number of properties and gained eventual eviction from the police who were ordered to destroy stairs to the first floors and roof tops.
In the hippy 60s, a group of artists arrived and eventually created the International Artists Village out of the abandoned town with no tap water, electricity or sanitation.
They are reported to have believed the authorities would grant them ownership of the properties if they refurbished them. Periodic conflict with the police ensued and in 1997 the authorities again laid claim to the properties. Some of the court cases are said to have continued for 17 years.
