'We made everything bear-proof': the Italian village that learned to love its bears

By learning to live with its ursine neighbours, mountainous Pettorano sul Gizio has drawn tourists and new residents, bucking a trend of rural declinePettorano sul Gizio is a medieval mountain town full of alleys, watchful cats and wooden doors locked sometime in the last century. In the lower parts of town, rustic charm turns into abandonment - branches grow out of walls and roofs have fallen in. The only bar closed at Christmas, after the owner died. Some "For Sale" signs have been up so long the phone number is illegible.The town, with its faded ochre and orange hues, is listed as one of Italy's I Borghi pi? belli (an association of historic towns). In 1920, about 5,000 people lived here, now the population is 390. It resembles many others in Italy's south-central Abruzzo region, home to a shrinking, ageing population. One nearby town has been almost completely abandoned, and is home to just 12 people. Continue reading...