Italian village becomes new destination for foreigners

Amid the depopulation of many Italian villages, the small town of Introdacqua, in the province of L'Aquila, is going in the opposite direction thanks to hundreds of foreigners who have arrived to live there.

In a movement that has been attracting the attention of authorities, the new residents of the municipality do not have relatives in the European country or Italian origins.

"It's an anomalous phenomenon. More than 300 foreigners, including English, American, Canadian, Australian, Irish, and Scottish, have chosen to live here. Some have even bought two houses, one for themselves and one for their children. Properties for sale have been selling like hotcakes: it's hard to find any now," said Cristian Colasante, mayor of Introdacqua.

The city's new residents renovated old Italian homes and developed cultural and musical associations. Foreigners also began to dominate bars, festivals, and events that liven up local squares.

A couple from Alabama, in the United States, mentioned that the low housing prices, the nature of the region and the musical tradition of Introdacqua motivated their move from the American continent to Europe.

"The hospitality and availability of the residents of Introdacqua made this arrival and integration process very special," said Massimo Tardio, the town's librarian and director of a local museum.

Between the returnees and the new foreign inhabitants, the town, which now has almost two thousand residents, is an example of a multicultural community, an inspiration for small towns in the Italian countryside.

"The most beautiful thing is that it doesn't lose its identity: there is no assimilation, but rather multiculturalism in this phenomenon," said Audrey Edwardson, a native of Belfast, Northern Ireland, and one of the organizers of the "Intro Sounds" music festival, which attracts thousands of fans every summer.