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PTT

Dateline bumper

PTT

Tonight, on Dateline...

While Australian property prices have soared

Upsot Auctioneer: At three million... sold!

Imagine a place where you can buy a house for just one dollar fifty.

UPSOT: Valeria: Well, here we have the first house at €1, if you want to see it.

Evan: Oh, this is actually €1?

Valeria: One Euro. Yes.

But what’s the catch?

UPSOT: Danny: There's no bathroom here. I think they would have probably just washed...

 Evan: They’re overrated.

Are foreign buyers the answer to help reverse Italy’s rural depopulation problem, or could there be another solution?

ROSARIO: 

We gave help

to people who arrived by sea, ///

but in the same way,

these people were helping

the village to have another chance.

PROGRAM TITLE: Italy’s One Euro Homes

Evan Williams, Colin Cosier, Micah McGown

 INSPECTING €1 HOMES

Evan drives into Mussomeli

SUPER: Evan Williams, reporter

In central Sicily, the hilltop town of Mussomeli is a maze of medieval streets and historic houses

And it’s experiencing a property boom...at the lower end of the market

LOCATION TITLE: Mussomeli

Today, I’m meeting a local real estate agent who’s going to show me what’s on the market

Evan meets Valeria outside home #1

SUPER: Valeria Sorce, Real estate agent

D1C1

Valeria: Buongiorno.

///

Evan: I'm Evan.

Valeria: Valeria. Nice to meet you.

Evan: thanks very much for seeing us today.

Valeria: it is a pleasure

Evan: so what are we going to see first?

Valeria: This is the first house for one Euro I wanted to show you.

Evan: one Euro

Valeria: Yeah, it’s one Euro

Evan: wow. Let's have a look

///

Evan: Has this just come on the market then?

Valeria:  Yeah, it's a new one.

I’M EXPECTING A HOUSE AT THIS PRICE WILL NEED A LOT OF WORK

Evan and Valeria inside home #1

D1C1

Evan: Okay. All right. Okay.

Valeria: Here, there is kind of living room

//

Evan: And then right on top, there is the tiles.

Valeria: Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. We are on the top of the house.

///

Evan: But it's in good nick. It's quite nice. Let's have a look at the other room then.

Valeria: Yeah. Lets go.

Evan: Okay. En suite?

Valeria: Yeah. With the bathroom.

Evan: Bathroom. Yeah. There we go. That's obviously been put in. It's a modern addition.

Valeria: Yeah.

Evan: It's fantastic.

I’M SURPRISED TO FIND THE HOUSE IS LIVEABLE

D1 C1

Evan: This is quite nice. This is a classic sort of Italian balcony, a Sicilian balcony, right?

Valeria: Yeah, is it.

Evan: I reckon you can see the mountain there. That's great.

Valeria: Yeah. You can see the mountain.

Evan: Yeah. Nice place for a coffee.

///

Evan: So this is the old medieval section and that’s the next section? Great. It's a really spectacular town though, isn't it? All up in the mountains.

Mussomeli GVs

FOREIGNERS ARE DRAWN TO ITALY’S COBBLED STREETS AND RUSTIC CHARM.

IT’S NO FLORENCE OR VENICE, BUT HERE IN MUSSOMELI ANYONE CAN BUY A SLICE OF THE ITALIAN DREAM – FOR LESS THAN A CUP OF COFFEE...

AND THEY’RE SELLING FAST

Evan and Valeria walk n talk through town

Evan: Now what about some of these places? Are any of these coming on the market?

Valeria: Well, this one, we sold this one here. Leaving, we sold that one.

Evan: Really? Are these all one Euro houses?

Valeria: No, the house more than one Euro. But probably this one will be soon in the market. That one Euro.

Evan: This one here?

Valeria: We are working on this. Yes.

Evan: I quite like to look at it.

Valeria: You want to buy it?

Evan: I like the balcony. I've got one on me now.

Valeria: I can keep it for you.

Evan: Good, please. I like that one.

House #2 EXT

Evan: Love it. Let's go have a look.

Valeria: Let's go.

Evan: Oh, wow. Okay. Nice high ceilings. Okay. So tell me about this place.

Valeria: Well, here, this is like the living room. There is a toilet there that probably, I will advise you take it out.

Evan: Renovate. Okay. Okay. So interesting space. Different to the other one.

Valeria: Exactly.

Evan: Worse condition. You can smell. It's a bit musty. So it's a bit damp. Would you say water's getting in here somewhere?

Valeria: Probably yes, because this one is like the original roof.

Evan: Oh, okay.

House #2 INT

Evan: How much do you think people have to put into these houses to bring them back? I know it's different because depends on the problem. Depends on the materials. But roughly speaking, how much would you say you have to put into the house?

Valeria: A minimum of 20,000, 25,000 in the house and one Euro. You have to calculate like really a minimum then more, yes. Less, no.

Evan: Yeah. Yeah. And that would depend on the actual condition?

Valeria: Exactly.

Evan: If it didn't have a roof, for example, you might be looking at much, much more.

Valeria: ) Yeah

///

Evan: Do you ever walk into a place and think even from one Euro, I'm not going to sell this.

Valeria: Yeah. It's happened sometimes, but even though we sell it, so...

Evan:  Oh really?

Valeria: Yeah.

The reason these places are so cheap is because there are so many of them.

Upsot- buonjourno

In the past few decades alone, over a million Italians left their towns and villages, moving to the cities or abroad in search of work and opportunities.

Mussomeli is a textbook example

The town has houses for about 40,000 people... but a population of only 11,000

And the old homes have been abandoned for years

Walk and talk something

Evan: So, how many one Euro houses are for sale and how many do you sold?

Valeria: In this moment available around 30 property.

Evan: Wow.

Valeria: That we sold around 100.

Evan: Oh, really? So, it's been very successful.

Valeria: It was. It is actually.

Evan and Valeria walk away

Evan: This on the market?

Valeria:  For sale.

Evan: This one and this one.

Valeria: It's just one house.

Evan: Oh, that's one big house is it? That's quite big? .

Valeria: It is. But need a lot of work.

DANNY’S HOMES

Evan walks around Mussomeli

Town GVs, people

TAKING ON A HUGE RENOVATION FOR A 1 EURO HOUSE REQUIRES COMMITMENT, AND NOT JUST A FINANCIAL ONE.

BUYERS HAVE TO CONSIDER WHETHER THEY REALLY WANT TO LIVE HERE.

Evan meets Danny at his €1 home

SUPER: Danny McCubbin, NEW RESIDENT

Evan: Hi. Hello, Danny.

Danny: Hi, Evan.

Evan: Knock, knock.

Danny: Come in. Yeah, very good. Thanks.

Evan: How are you? Good to see you. This is amazing.

///

Evan: What's an Australian doing in a town like this in a house like this?

///

Danny: Good question, Evan. Good question.

///

Danny: So I was looking to move to Italy. I've been obviously Australian in London for 23 years. Passionate about Italy and I saw it as a way of of moving here and sort of an entry into life in Sicily

///

Evan: And so what did you like about this one?

///

Danny: I don't have any building skills and I'm not a great handyman, but I could tell with this house that the foundations were pretty good and that it was in a pretty good state compared to many of them, which are just rubble.

//

Danny - what I loved about this place is its original, it's being abandoned for 15 years. So when I walked in, there was just as if the person had got up and left. Actually, sadly, she died /// so it’s a bit of a mess, come and have a look, mind your way, there’s no lights or anything.

INT Danny’s €1 home

Danny: So this was the bedroom.

Evan: Yeah.

Danny: Like original original bedroom. Yeah. And when I when I first saw it, it's changed a bit now. But the lady actually died in this, died here and they had all the chairs lined up here because that's what they do to view her and say goodbye.

Danny: The TV was covered in the corner, but it still didn't freak me out.

////

Danny: I've saved a lot of her stuff just because there's some good memories here and some lovely objects. But it is almost like the kids come and take what they want the family and then the rest is just left.

Danny’s kitchen

Danny: So this is the kitchen.

Evan: OK.

Danny: And I think this is what sold the house for me. Just I don't know. I can just imagine the people sitting around the table eating wood fired stove there. I mean, they've done the seventies renovations or whatever and added things. But a lot of it's kind of original .

Danny’s balcony

Danny: OK, and this is the balcony.

EV: lovely

///

Evan: so I know you're a tough guy, but it doesn't look like you live here at the moment?

///

Danny: So I don't live here, it's going to take a while for it to be renovated. So rather than renting another place, I decided to look around for somewhere to buy and I found a place for €8,000. So I bought that. That's where I live.

Evan: OK, yeah. So that's not a bad price for a house.

Danny: It's amazing for a house. For a whole house.

Evan: Yeah. Compared to London prices or even, you know, Australian prices?

Danny: Absolutely. Absolutely.

The median Australian house price is now over one million dollars

BUT DANNY’S ABOUT TO SHOW ME THE HOUSE HE LIVES IN – AND IT COST JUST 12 AND A HALF THOUSAND DOLLARS

Danny’s €8,000 home EXT

EVAN: DANNY: This is mine.

EVAN: McCubbin. There it is.

DANNY: yeah, can’t miss it.

Danny’s €8,000 home INT

Danny: OK, so here we are.

Evan: Oh, I see, okay, well, this is, this is much better

Danny: Yeah.

Evan: Very nice. Liveable.

Thank you. A balcony and a view as well .

Gorgeous, right down the valley. Nice to see.

EVAN: So the people you meet, the locals in this area, how do they feel about Danny McCubbin coming from Australia, moving into this house for one Euro? What's the reaction here?

Danny: To be honest Evan, they were a bit dubious at first. Really, they were just like...

EVAN: you’re a dubious character. 

Danny: Yeah, yeah, I mean, you know, so suspicious.

OLAY

Danny: I think they they are welcoming. They're welcoming, though, if you have the right attitude.

With young people leaving town for education and jobs... It’s mainly the older generation that remain

One neighbour Danny has made friends with is 91-year-old Salvatore, who lives alone.

Danny visits his neighbour, Salvatore

DANNY: Salvatore. How are you?

SALVATORE: So far, I’m... good.

DANNY: You are strong.

DANNY: I've brought some marmalade. Quince marmalade.  Tomato sauce.

SALVATORE: - What is it? Tomato sauce?

DANNY: Tomato sauce.

SALVATORE: Listen here, boy. There's no need.

DANNY: No?

SALVATORE: Look how many biscuits I have here!

- Everything.

- Everything.

- Everything.

DANNY - So you don’t want tomato sauce?

SALVATORE: No, no give it to another person who needs it more than me.

Salvatore has seen a lot of change in this town.

AND HE’S WORRIED ABOUT IT ONE DAY BEING EMPTY

Salvatore IV

SALVATORE: On this street,

you'd be amazed how many

abandoned houses there are.

There are

12 abandoned properties now.

Their owners have passed on,

so the doors were closed

and they've fallen into disrepair.

In the future, my house

will succumb to the same fate,

 because my children

each have their own homes,

so it will be shut up too.

Danny: Bye

Post Salvatore IV

Danny:

Salvatore and I have become good friends. I just I love his company. Some days I just sit there and talk, and I just think to myself, is somebody who is 91 who's probably never left Sicily, can be so open minded to accept me and to accept people buying these €1 houses, then that's a good thing. And it's a good thing for the town

THEA - FOREIGN BUYER

MANY TOWNS IN ITALY HAVE 1 EURO HOME SCHEMES

BUT MUSSOMELI HAS BEEN HAILED A SUCCESS – THANKS TO CLEVER MARKETING

INSTEAD OF ENTICING YOUNG ITALIANS HERE TO REPOPULATE

THEY’RE TARGETING FOREIGNERS AND THE DREAM OF OWNING AN ITALIAN HOME

The city gets around 1000 emails a day asking about one-Euro homes.

And on almost on any given day, you’ll find people like Thea and her friends walking the streets looking for one.

Evan meets Thea

Super: Thea Haimovitz, Israeli

Thea (buyer) I just bought the one year old house now, just for one. Yeah. Yeah, really? Rent it today. Yes. Yes. Yes. Hello. Hello. Hi, hi.

Evan - Wow, when did you buy the house? Just today?

Thea (buyer) - Not far away from here.

 Evan - Oh fantastic. How long have you been looking?

Thea (buyer) - For 23 hours.

Evan - 23 hours! Evan laughs

Thea IV

Evan - So what is it you like about the one you bought?

Thea (buyer) - first of all, I had a vision when I heard, when I first heard about the project of one Euro houses, I had a vision which with a small town, a lot of stores, a very old town and me getting to my house, to my one Euro house, getting inside to small path and taking the house, taking something which is nothing today and making the most beautiful house in that place.

Thea is Israeli but lives in Romania.

She plans to turn her new purchase into a spiritual retreat.

Thea IV

Evan - And the what sort of state of repair is it in? How much work do you think you need to do on it?

Thea (buyer) - Well, it's a lot. It's a lot because I wasn't even allowed to get inside. It's so dangerous. Yeah, but you know

Evan -OK, so do you know roughly how much it might cost to renovate?

Thea - No, but I don't care. No, I don't care.

Thea and entourage celebrate with a group hug

Upsot: yaaaaaaaay

DANNY’S KITCHEN

Danny’s kitchen

ONLY A FEW FOREIGN BUYERS MAKE THE DECISION TO MOVE HERE PERMANTELY

Someone who has gone all in with Mussomeli is Danny

Not only has he bought two houses - he also rents a space for an ambitious project

Danny’s kitchen

Danny: Gracia Frank. Comesti Marshall

Danny’s kitchen

Evan walks into the Good Kitchen

Evan: Hi Danny!.

Danny: Evan!

Evan: How are you?

Danny: great, thanks. How are you here?

Evan: Yeah, it's a bit chilly out there today. So what's this place?

Danny: This is the good kitchen...

///

Danny: So we rescue the food from the supermarkets. They deliver it to us and then we make good, nutritious meals for vulnerable people of the town. -

Danny has a background in food.

In London, he worked for celebrity chef Jamie Oliver on social food programs.

Now he’s setting up a community kitchen in an old shopfront on the town piazza.

Danny’s kitchen

Danny: my primary goal with this, the good kitchen, is that it becomes a social enterprise. So then we actually start employing the young people of the town 50% unemployment for youth in Sicily. So my primary objective is that it becomes a business and it's functioning business, and then we employ the young people to run it.

Evan: I see. So it's actually which is one of the key reasons why people are leaving. Yes.

Danny: Absolutely. Absolutely.

Helping Danny today are a group of young friends, like Salvatore, who’s here on court-ordered community service.

SUPER: Salvatore Fame

SALVATORE: It's a way to help the community,

to feel good about myself.

I love it, it's an amazing environment.

Danny is an amazing guy

and I get along with him.

The group’s youngest member, 10-year-old Davide is also inspired.

SUPER: Davide Caruso

DAVIDE: When I'm older, I want to

open a restaurant with some friends.

Evan: But this for you is more, it's more than just buying a cheap house.

Danny: Absolutely. I mean, the one Euro house was the hook, but ahh... it's a lifestyle for me.

AND HE HAS ADVICE FOR OTHERS THINKING OF BUYING A ONE EURO HOME

Danny:  I'm quite adamant when somebody reaches out to me and says, Look, I'm thinking of coming, setting up an AirBnb or /// someone wants to set up a business, a restaurant or a cafe. I say to them, please don't.

Danny: So if you set up a business and take it away from the people of the town, then that's not a good thing in a town that's struggling anyway. So if you work remotely fantastic, it's a great opportunity for you. But also, I say, think of something that's going to give jobs to the people of a town. That's the most important thing.

Danny: bon appetitto

THE PANDEMIC HAS SEEN A BOOM IN REMOTE WORKING AND SMALL TOWNS LIKE THIS ARE STARTING TO SEE A TRICKLE OF NEW RESIDENTS LOOKING FOR A SLOWER AND CHEAPER WAY OF LIFE.

BUT THERE ARE AN ESTIMATED 2,500 VILLAGES ACROSS ITALY ON THEIR WAY TO BECOMING GHOST TOWNS

SICILY TO CALABRIA

Evan walking Mussomeli

SO IT WOULD TAKE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE LIKE DANNY MOVING PERMANENTLY... TO REVERSE THE DEPOPULATION TREND

(pause travel shots)

I’m on my way to Calabria, one of Italy’s poorest regions, to visit a town getting a new lease on life - thanks to foreigners who are desperate to call Italy home....

LOCATION TITLE: Camini, Calabria

GUISY & ROSARIO

Camini is home to only 300 locals - and over a hundred refugees.

OFFICE SCENE OVERLAY

Rosario and Guisy are the driving forces behind an idea that saved the town from abandonment.

They run a cooperative that helps integrate refugees into Italian society.

School room / weaving / bakery

Their state-funded program provides refugees with language classes, job training and community activities

Evana and R&G walking

Guisy and Rosario are the brains behind the scheme

Rosario & Guisy IV

SUPER: Rosario Zurzolo, Eurocoop Camini

ROSARIO:

I was born in Camini

and went to school here,

but I always hoped

that I would not become

one of the many young Calabrians

forced to leave.

///

At that time, when we were kids

and I was 18,

the village wasn't liveable.

For example, this road

where we're doing this interview

was closed because it was unsafe.

It was unsafe

because the houses were collapsing,

and they were collapsing

because the inhabitants of Camini

had abandoned the houses

and left them empty.

The idea of the cooperative

was born there.

At that time, the idea of

welcoming migrants hadn't emerged.

The idea of welcoming migrants

came later, in 2011.

BEFORE THEY COULD BRING MIGRANTS TO CAMINI TO REVITALISE THE TOWN – THEY HAD TO MAKE THE TOWN LIVEABLE.

WITH GOVERNMENT FUNDING, THEY’VE RENOVATED ENOUGH HOUSES FOR 118 PEOPLE.

NEW PTC POSITION

Evan PTC -

So this is a really good spot to see what Camini was like before the program started. This is part of the old part of a town it was falling apart needs repair. Obviously, it's in a real state whereas just next to it is a place that's been renovated and repaired, and they're using it for tourist accommodation. Looks really cute, but it's more than that, actually. They're preserving here hundreds of years of culture and tradition and life.

BUT TO BRING THE TOWN BACK TO LIFE THEY NEEDED HELP –

SO, IN 20-11, GUISY AND ROSARIO ORGANISED FOR A SMALL GROUP OF MIGRANTS TO KICKSTART THEIR PROGRAM

Rosario & Guisy IV

SUPER: Giusy Canà, Eurocoop Camini

GUISY:  This was our first time

and we were a bit worried about this,

as we were hosting 11 males

coming from Africa

and it was the Camini community's

first experience hosting migrants.

Despite the initial reservations... The initiative was a success... And it was soon to take off in a big way.

EXPLAINER: MIGRANT CRISIS

3^rd Party:

-          Med boat journeys

-          Italy arrivals

Since the European migrant crisis in 20-15, over three-quarters of a million asylum seekers and migrants crossed the Mediterranean and landed in Italy.

It was a pivotal moment for Camini:

RETURN TO ROSARIO AND GUISY

ROSARIO At that moment, the community realised that it was essential to start welcoming migrants because Camini was at a point of no return, because Camini was about to disappear.

Rosario & Guisy IV

ROSARIO: 

We gave help

to people who arrived by sea, ///

but in the same way,

these people were helping

the village to have another chance.

MIGRANT FAMILY

Evan enters … to meet a migrant and/or family doing ….

Two people enjoying a second chance at life are father and daughter Mohammad and Doua.

They're refugees from Syria.

Mohammed (Arabic)

In 2012,

a building collapsed on top of me.

It was because of the war

and the shelling.

I ended up with an injury to my spine.

///

Then we came to Italy.

And I'm grateful to them here.

They completed my treatment.

Migrant family IV

DOUA:

Camini is a very important place for me

because it changed my life.

I managed to be strong,

I found a job, I studied,

the most important things in life

I found here.

I would like to stay here

and help the cooperative

to improve and move forward.

While many of the new arrivals that come through Camini move on... it seems the town is also becoming a home for others.

BUT IN A VILLAGE JUST A FEW KILOMETRES AWAY, THE LOCAL MAYOR BECAME FAMOUS FOR WELCOMING MIGRANTS – AND AS A RESULT – IS FACING JAIL

Ad bumper

RIACE: REPLAY DATELINE 2015 SEGMENT

Evan drives from Camini to Riace

Rural Italy has long suffered from depopulation, leaving picturesque towns feeling abandoned...

That is until a place tries to do something about it.

Just like the village of Camini, there is another town nearby that was once world famous for giving a warm welcome to migrants

And I reported from there back in 20-15.

LIB 170315 WELCOME TO RIACE DTL PKG

STRAP: Dateline, 2015

Welcome to Riace

2015 DATELINE

EVAN Hidden away in the harsh dry mountains of southern Italy is where you will find Riace, home to less than 2,000 people it has remained a ghost town for nearly four generations.

Domenico Lucano is Riace's mayor, having grown up in the crumbling town, today he's determined to reverse its sleepy image. With a plan that could also solve one of Italy's biggest problems.

DOMENICO LUCANO, RIACE MAYOR (Translation): It’s a gradual process, a kind of immigration that is a totally unexpected phenomenon.

/// Rather than shun migrants, like the rest of the country, he wants to welcome them.

Today, signs welcome refugees in Arabicto French… as those accepted as genuine refugees move in to the homes others have left behind. 

Trained in jobs and given a modest stipend –immigrants now make up around a quarter of the population. 

GFX: 

Source: https://fortune.com/worlds-greatest-leaders/2016/domenico-lucano/

Back then, Riace's scheme -  and the man behind it -  were hailed a huge success...

In 2016 - The Mayor was even named in Fortune's iconic annual list of the World's 50 greatest leaders, alongside Angela Merkel, Pope Franics and Justin Trudeau.

EXPLAINER: MAYOR MIMMO’s DOWNFALL

3^rd party

-          Boats and arrivals

But no one could have predicted what would happen next.

The massive inflow of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants to Italy was followed by a rise in anti-migrant politics.

Upsot in crowd (subtitled)

Supporter: “Salvini, you have to fix this chaos!”

Amos’ Italy migrant boot camp

Riding this to power, the right wing League Party and its leader Matteo Salvini targeted Riace and its Mayor

GFX

SUPER: Matteo Salvini, former Deputy Prime Minister of Italy

SOURCE: FACEBOOK: Riace non si arresta

SALVINI: To the mayor of Riace, I don't even

devote half a thought. Zero, it's zero.

LIB 041018 RTV ITALY IMMIGRATION MAYOR_SBS_ID_3260569.mxf

THEN A SURPRISE TWIST...

In 2018, the Mayor was charged with abetting illegal immigration, fraud, forgery and embezzlement - CHARGES HE SAID WERE POLITICAL”

STRAP: 2018

LIB 041018 RTV ITALY IMMIGRATION MAYOR UPDATE_SBS_ID_3261694

LUCANO:  It seems absurd,

but in effect they are accusing me ///

of being too humane.

LIB 041018 RTV ITALY IMMIGRATION MAYOR_SBS_ID_3260569.mxf

LIB 041018 RTV ITALY IMMIGRATION MAYOR UPDATE_SBS_ID_3261694

The case made international headlines... and triggered protests against the central government.

LIB 071018 RTV ITALY IMMIGRATION DEMO_SBS_ID_3288667.mxf

UPSOT [0.05] street protest

Evan walks in Riace

Prosecutors asked for 7 years in jail – he was given 13.

HOWEVER, HE’S STILL LIVING IN RIACE WHILST HE AWAITS THE OUTCOME OF HIS APPEALS

MAYOR MIMMO

Evan PTC

Evan PTC

This place certainly feels very different to 2015, I'm seeing virtually no people around, and I'm certainly not seeing anywhere near the same number of refugees or migrants here. The reason I've come back to Riace is to try and meet the mayor. 12:48:27:13

Evan walks up to Mimmo

D6 C1 A [10:09:46]

Evan: Mimmo, hello

Feeling the stress of the prosecution, initially he didn’t want to talk

Mimmo waves Evan away

Mimmo: no, no, no, no, no

But he eventually warmed up

D6 C1 A

[10:55:39] IV supporting coverage

(Subreel 1 – Italian) 00:10:04:03

LUCANO: I reacted instinctively because

instinctively

in relation to the video camera

in relation to what, to some extent,

has become a media nightmare.

D6 C1 B

[10:13:31] Evan: what’s been the impact of the case on your migrant program in Riace?

Mimmo IV

(Subreel 1 – Italian) 00:10:36:05

LUCANO: Today, Riace is back to being

one of many towns

struggling to survive

in this deep south

///

Nothing is left, people leave,

one cannot live in situations

where social life is erased

and driven to zero.

EVAN: well what in your view are the forces behind this?

Mimmo IV

LUCANO: The attempt to delegitimise Riace

occurred at higher levels.

At levels where

there is a grey zone

in which the Mafia-related

bourgeoisie can influence the state.

//

The thought

that disturbed the right-wing parties

was that this small abandoned

village was able to succeed.

So I was not the issue,

I was only the instrument

for them to delegitimise the idea.

One day, I have faith

that I will obtain real justice.

Evan walking around Riace

DANNY

When I first arrived and it just felt like it was a blank canvas for me where I could start my life in Italy.

pause

RIACE ONCE HAD 800 REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS FROM MORE THAN 20 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES LIVING HERE – CREATING BUSINESSES, FILLING UP SCHOOLS AND BRINGING LIFE TO THE TOWN.

A POLITCAL SHIFT AND ALLEGED MIS-MANAGEMENT HAS LEFT IT SADLY EMPTY ONCE AGAIN.

BUT ITS MOMENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT INSPIRED OTHER TOWNS TO WELCOME FOREIGNERS

GUISY

I like working in the field of social work and combining a humanitarian enterprise with the rebirth of my territory which I love so much and wanted and chose to stay in..

ROSARIO: But what is important now is that the village is alive as there are many people who are interested in coming to visit us.

DANNY -

It wasn't ever going to be a second home for me, never going to be a holiday house. I think a lot of foreigners are buying for that reason. Before the pandemic. However, now I'm finding people are realizing that they can live here.

THERE’S HOPE THESE VARIOUS SCHEMES TO INTEGRATE MIGRANTS AND ATTRACT FOREIGN BUYERS WILL PRESERVE ITALY’S HISTORIC RURAL TOWNS AND KEEP THEM GOING FOR A FEW MORE CENTURIES.

CREDITS: