An abandoned ghost town in southern Italy has come back to life thanks to over 140 vibrant murals that have turned the area into a street art hotspot.
The region's population had been shrinking as young people left for jobs and fewer babies were born there, news agency SWNS reported.
Local artist Lino Lombardi, 57, grew frustrated as he saw his hometown crumble - and launched Stramurales, an annual street art festival, in 2017.
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"At first people thought I was crazy, but I couldn't just watch the town fade away," said Lombardi. "I started looking at the walls as blank canvases, which could be turned into something beautiful."
The festival invited artists worldwide to paint murals, with six created at the first event in 2018.
Today, more than 140 murals can be seen around Stornara, in the Puglia region, with inspiring themes represented each year, including agriculture, migration within Italy and local life. Residents vote on the topics each year.
Tourism has surged 25% since 2020, SWNS said, sparking the opening of eight new businesses, including restaurants and B&Bs.
The population has stopped shrinking and is slowly growing again as young families move back, according to locals.
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Café owner Antonio Maglione was about to close his business before the murals brought in crowds that made him learn to speak the word "welcome" in five different languages.
"The murals saved my business, but more than that, they saved our community," Maglione said.
Rita Gensano returned after spending 20 years away.
She said initially, she felt like she'd walked into a ghost town.
"It felt like a sacrifice," she said. "But it has become something extraordinary."
Now a tour guide, she called Stornara "the coolest town in Italy."
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Retired olive farmer Salvatore Nappi said the murals helped residents regain their pride.
"We had lost our pride, but the murals reminded us that our town and our stories are worth celebrating," SWNS reported.
Lombardi founded a nonprofit that runs art workshops for high school students to keep the creative spirit alive.
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"Art doesn't just decorate our walls, it reminds us that even small places can dream big," Lombardi said.
Other struggling towns have asked for help after Stornara's success, SWNS reported.
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"We never planned to be a case study, but if our experience can help other communities, that's even more meaningful," Lombardi said.
The 2025 Stramurales festival is featuring artists from every continent for the first time.
