Andiamo!
Gorreto, population: 105, was always small, but now the tiny village, nestled in a river valley in northern Italy, is on the brink of extinction.
Most of the remaining residents are over 60 and the primary school attended by Mayor Sergio Capelli, 72, closed about 30 years ago — a stark example of the nationwide demographic decline as Italians live longer and have fewer babies.
“To witness the slow death of the valley makes me sad,” says Capelli, a retired railway engineer who hopes to attract people to the town by organising cultural events. “I am trying to save all these villages,” he says.
Idea: Let’s all move to these “pristine but desolate” Italian villages to restore their populations. It’s a civic duty. Repeat after me: coppa di vino. Great, you’re gonna be great. [Reuters]