Half a century ago, the picturesque Sicilian town of Poggioreale was hit by an earthquake that caused its citizens to flee for food, even though many buildings remained standing. What they left behind has become one of Italy's largest ghost towns. And the place was frozen at the exact time of the quake.
Girolamo Cangelosi, the mayor of a new Poggioreale town that was built further down the valley after the quake, has an idea to bring it back to life and make it shine again as it did in the past He isn't just daydreaming. He has already begun drawing up plans and placed architects on standby. All he's lacking is money.
Thus he recently started a global journey, setting his sights first on former Poggioreale residents (居民) and their families, 5,000 of whom he says are now living in the United States. Also scheduled was a stop in Australia, where about 4,000 more are believed to have emigrated (移居) after the quake.
Cangelosi is convinced that he can not only persuade local families who have long left but still feel a strong attachment to their hometown to sink some wealth into their old home, but also turn to tourists and developers who can lend a hand.
Poggioreale is also the latest town in Sicily and elsewhere in Italy to try radical (极端的) approaches to keeping them from being forgotten. A series of other locations have sold off old houses for as little as one euro — or just over a dollar — to people willing to move in. That's a deal that could be on the table in Poggioreale, too.
In theory, it shouldn't take much to restore Poggioreale to something like its former glory. The town has good facilities (设施), though in bad shape. There's a theater, library, hospital, marketplace and even a small inn for travelers.
