L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2020 L'Italo-Americano U p t o t h e second post- w a r p e r i o d , I t a l y w a s a largely rural country, with an economy rooted in agriculture and a lifestyle that had remained virtually unchanged for cen- turies for the vast majority of its citizens. S i n c e t h e n , h o w e v e r , things changed profoundly: the economic boom of the late 50s and 60s brought hundreds of thousands — millions, even — of people to our cities, leaving smaller rural community to slowly d e c a y a n d d i e . B u t t h e s e very communities stand, still today, for our past and its cultural and emotional relevance in our identity of Italians: this is why, espe- cially in very recent years, a s e r i e s o f i n i t i a t i v e s h a v e been introduced, more or less successfully, with the a i m o f r e p o p u l a t i n g o u r countryside and our moun- t a i n s : f r o m t h e f a m o u s homes at one euro initiative — of which we spoke on our pages, too —- to the idea of offering incentives to open Air B+Bs or other busines- s e s , w i t h t h e r e g i o n o f Molise being the last in time to propose it, the avenues taken to protect and keep alive such a huge part of our heritage and history, la vita r u r a l e , h a v e b e e n m a n y and diversified, from North to South. Then, 2020 came: anno bisesto, anno funesto, they say (a leap year is always unlucky) and — oh boy! — ain't that true this year. The Covid-19 pandemic, which is still well on the way both in Europe and the US, h a s b e e n c h a n g i n g o u r habits profoundly, but while some may, once it's all over, quickly become a memory of the past (we all hope to hug our friends again, soo- ner or later, and send social distancing back to the dark drawer where it belongs!), others may remain with us. I t a l y f o r e x a m p l e , h a s b e e n f i n a l l y c a t c h i n g u p with the use of technology across the quaternary sec- t o r , e s p e c i a l l y w h e n i t c o m e s t o c o m p a n i e s a n d businesses relying heavily on contact with the public, and using it to reduce face t o f a c e i n t e r a c t i o n s , something incredibly dan- g e r o u s t o d a y . M o r e a n d more banks have been offe- ring online services, which is totally normal in the rest of the world, but wasn't all that common in Italy. Many p u b l i c o f f i c e s h a v e b e e n upping their websites and have been supporting the option of making requests or sending documents onli- ne, with not only the result of reducing the risk of infec- tion, but also demonstrating that a smart use of techno- logy can streamline work and help provide a better costumer experience, Covid or not Covid. Many companies — and t h e i r e m p l o y e e s — h a v e been also appreciating the advantages of working from home instead of the office, again something relatively common in other parts of the world, but virtually unk- nown in the Belpaese until only a few months ago. R e c e n t l y , w e ' v e b e g u n w o n d e r i n g i f " s m a r t working" (that's working from home for us Italians) could not only be an answer to reduce Covid infections and introduce more flexibi- lity in people's work days, b u t a l s o a n i m p o r t a n t i n s t r u m e n t t o s a v e o u r country villages. Since the beginning of the pandemic, realtors across the country noted an increased interest i n r u r a l p r o p e r t i e s a n d , more in general, in homes outside of the city: cheaper, bigger, immersed in nature and history and, well… with less Covid around. And you know what, with more than 72% of Italian communes c o u n t i n g l e s s 5 0 0 0 r e s i - dents, finding the perfect p l a c e o u t s i d e t h e c i t y shouldn't be that difficult. Many of these villages, once filled with people and tradi- t i o n s , a r e t o d a y n e a r l y e m p t y , o n t h e v e r g e o f dying. But a dying village is a n i m m e n s e l o s s f o r t h e country as cultural entity, because each corner of Italy h a s a s t o r y t o t e l l a n d a speckle of grandiosity hid- den within it. Today, thanks to digital technology and — finally! — t o t h e a c c e p t a n c e t h a t "working from home" is an equally productive alternati- ve to the office (at least in some sectors), the dream of bringing new life into our rural communities may no l o n g e r b e i m p o s s i b l e . Architect Stefano Boeri, o f t h e P o l i t e c n i c o d i Milano, and his team have been studying the possibi- lity to do just that, with the help of the Touring Club I t a l i a n o a n d m a p p i n g technology: "we are focu- sing on villages and borou- ghs within a 60 km radius from either a urban centre or an airport. More specifi- cally, we're taking a closer look to the Val Trebbia area, where small semi-abando- ned villages could stipulate c o n t r a c t s w i t h n e a r b y Milan," Boeri explained to Paola Dezza of Il Sole 24 Ore. The idea is to create a link between companies and small villages, so that both c a n c o n t r i b u t e t o e a c h other's wealth, by decentra- l i z i n g w o r k , a l l o w i n g e m p l o y e e s t o w o r k f r o m home and endorsing villa- ges close by as an alternati- ve to the city as a place to live. There is more, though: Boeri mentions the example o f h i s o w n h o m e t o w n , Badalucco, a small village i n t h e I m p e r i a i n l a n d , w h i c h , a f t e r d e c a d e s o f a b a n d o n m e n t , h a s f o u n d new life since young people — locals and non-locals — decided to invest in agricul- ture and local craftsman- ship there. Another example is that of Castelfalfi, in Tuscany, a medieval hamlet entirely renovated by Gruppo Tui, today home to luxury flats, 2 hotels and a golf course, a n d w h o s e e c o n o m y i s based largely on agriculture and viniculture. The road to fully repopu- late our beautiful countrysi- de is still long, but these examples, along with the s h e e r d e s i r e o f s o m a n y , e v e n a m o n g t h e y o u n g e r generations, to slow down and embrace a more whole- some lifestyle, could really m a k e t h e d i f f e r e n c e t h i s time. The pandemic is for- cing us to slow down and reconsider our priorities: it many be time to listen to t h e h u s t l e a n d b u s t l e around us and see if it's still what we really need and want. And to understand if waking up in the silence of nature and in the simplicity o f o u r o l d t r a d i t i o n s wouldn't be a better option. GIULIA FRANCESCHINI After Air B+Bs and homes at 1 Euro, could working from home be the right way to save our countryside from dying? Castelfalfi, in Tuscany, has been saved by Gruppo Tui. Photo: Shutterstock_1069133765 LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE

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