The changing face of Italy

The changing face of Italy

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The little village of Riace in Italy’s poor southern region of Calabria has seen many of its former residents leave in search of better opportunities elsewhere.

But the mayor Domenico Lucano has found a way to breathe new life into what was a dying village - he has introduced a scheme to encourage immigrants to come and settle there.

. RIACE, ITALY. REUTERS/Max Rossi

Italy’s population has been ageing for decades, with Italians living longer and having fewer babies.

But the country has also become a magnet for migrants hoping to start a new life in Europe; migrant boat arrivals in Italy from North Africa surged last year to more than 40,000, almost four times as many as in 2012.

To help pay the pensions of an ageing population and to ensure long-term growth, Italy needs to integrate its immigrant population into the workforce, economists say.

But high unemployment, especially among non-student young people, has fuelled anti-immigrant sentiment among the Italian mostly-white population.

. RIACE, ITALY. REUTERS/Max Rossi

However, mayor Domenico Lucano (pictured above) has encouraged migrants to come and make their homes in Riace.

New arrivals have been given support and places to live - and they in turn have helped to reinvigorate the village.

. RIACE, ITALY. REUTERS/Max Rossi

The children of Riace’s migrant residents have revitalised the local school, which suffered from a lack of students. A drawing stuck to a classroom door shows pupils taught there today.

. RIACE, ITALY. REUTERS/Max Rossi

Riace’s mayor has also introduced tokens as a local currency in the village. The notes feature famous figures from Martin Luther King to Nelson Mandela.

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Slideshow

This general view shows the village of Riace, in the southern Italian region of Calabria.
. RIACE, ITALY. REUTERS/Max Rossi

This general view shows the village of Riace, in the southern Italian region of Calabria.

A resident named Antonio (left) sits in his barber’s shop in the village.
. RIACE, ITALY. REUTERS/Max Rossi

A resident named Antonio (left) sits in his barber’s shop in the village.

Unme, a migrant from Pakistan who arrived in Riace about 11 months ago, works in her ceramics shop in the village.
. RIACE, ITALY. REUTERS/Max Rossi

Unme, a migrant from Pakistan who arrived in Riace about 11 months ago, works in her ceramics shop in the village.

Two women sit and chat in Riace.
. RIACE, ITALY. REUTERS/Max Rossi

Two women sit and chat in Riace.

Daniel, 32, collects rubbish in the village using a donkey-cart.
. RIACE, ITALY. REUTERS/Max Rossi

Daniel, 32, collects rubbish in the village using a donkey-cart.

Daniel, a migrant from Ghana, works as a builder in the village.
. RIACE, ITALY. REUTERS/Max Rossi

Daniel, a migrant from Ghana, works as a builder in the village.

Telahun, a migrant from Eritrea, talks on the phone as he stands on the terrace of his home in Riace.
. RIACE, ITALY. REUTERS/Max Rossi

Telahun, a migrant from Eritrea, talks on the phone as he stands on the terrace of his home in Riace.

Eritrean migrants sit in their living room.
. RIACE, ITALY. REUTERS/Max Rossi

Eritrean migrants sit in their living room.

Azeb (right) and Haregu, both from Eritrea, prepare food in their home.
. RIACE, ITALY. REUTERS/Max Rossi

Azeb (right) and Haregu, both from Eritrea, prepare food in their home.

Daniel, a migrant from Ghana, and his Nigerian girlfriend Angela wait for the bus in Riace.
. RIACE, ITALY. REUTERS/Max Rossi

Daniel, a migrant from Ghana, and his Nigerian girlfriend Angela wait for the bus in Riace.

A woman and her child walk down the street in the Italian village.
. RIACE, ITALY. REUTERS/Max Rossi

A woman and her child walk down the street in the Italian village.

Twenty-year-old Amina, a migrant from Somalia, studies Italian at school in Riace.
. RIACE, ITALY. REUTERS/Max Rossi

Twenty-year-old Amina, a migrant from Somalia, studies Italian at school in Riace.

Children play after school in the village.
. RIACE, ITALY. REUTERS/Max Rossi

Children play after school in the village.