Since the first emigration wave in the 1860s Italy's deep rural areas have been hit by depopulation. Families, especially youth, fled to cities in search of a brighter future and job leaving behind the elders. Winters were harsh, and the farmer and shepherd lives were no longer bearable.
Today, 40 percent of rural and mountain villages have fewer than 5,000 residents while over 20,000 towns have lost more than 80 percent of their inhabitants.
But a reverse trend is underway, bol...
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