A 2022 census revealed a significant demographic decline: Abruzzo’s population stood at 1.27 million, a figure alarmingly similar to the first post-war census in 1951.

The depopulation of inland areas is particularly concerning: in seven years, Abruzzo has lost 6.2% of its inland population, the highest rate among all Italian regions.

To counter this trend, incentives have been introduced in recent years to encourage those who left to return and to attract new residents, including from abroad. However, financial support alone is not enough.

The Restanza Project: Creating New Opportunities

The Restanza Project, launched in 2025, starts from this very realization: to repopulate these areas, we need services, infrastructure, and new opportunities. In other words, it is not enough to incentivize people to stay; we must create the conditions for them to truly build a future.

And this is where work can play a role.

Full remote: Working without having to relocate

Full-remote work, for example, allows for the partial separation of where you work from where you live. It means being able to work for a company or client hundreds of miles away without necessarily having to move to a big city.

For areas like inland Abruzzo, this possibility could become a powerful lever: encouraging those who left to return, attracting new people, and making small towns habitable and productive once again.

Staying, returning, and regenerating our communities

Encouraging repopulation does not just mean bringing people back to our villages; it means inhabiting, regenerating, and transforming them. Above all, it means creating the conditions where choosing to stay or return is a concrete opportunity, not a sacrifice.

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