Population may increase in old villages

From 17th to 22nd September I spent four days in Central Italy's old villages. While I was visiting those beautiful places in Tuscany, I was delighted to see economy wasn't hit enough by the epidemic crisis. The two distinctive local products, wine and olive oil, have been shipped abroad, and many tourists, mainly from Norther Italy and Germany, have been gathering the beautiful alleys and the museums, that exihibit large collections of Etruscan findings. Obviously, people have been observing social distancing rules strictly.

Some old villages in Tuscany are perched at cliff of the rock, and divided in narrow alleys and small squares. Their old urbanistic system clearly represents the medieval structure. Each alley hides other curiosities and bears witness to the importance of those small towns in ancient times. Underground passages and rooms, carved into the heart of the rock, had been used in medieval time as cereal container, wells and wine cellars.

 

The good news is that since the pandemic began, early this year, many people who work and live there, such as grocery clercks, B&B owners and supermarket cashiers, haven't lost their job. It seems that most workers, who continue to work from home two or three days a week, have choosen to leave Rome and other big towns. It's easy to forecast real estate's price will increase in those old villages.  

Good effects of remote working on our planet

As the Covid-19 pandemic still continues to transform our worklife, it is easy to see that the post-coronavirus future will be a model that combines remote work and office time. And many experts forecast that the proportion of regular home workers will double in one generation.

As it is known, since Covid-19 pandemic started in early 2020, companies have been managing in varied ways, and they have sent their employees home. Actually, coronavirus epidemic has been forcing businesses globally to adopt remote working. In this context, some employees will continue to work remotely, until at least 2021. Others can decide where to base themself. 

Working from home two or three days a week could be optimal for balancing socialbility, independence, an flexibility. That's the main reason why many models of hybrid working include alternative ways of how to structure remote work with phisical presence (office work). As a consequence, some companies will not maintain the same amount of office space for a smaller number of workers. 

The good news, in terms of pollution, is that the reduced proportion of commuting workers will give positive environmental effects on our planet. 

The picture above shows a medieval village in Central Italy, where we spent last weekend. The vulcanic tufa rock is found everywhere, from the bare rock to the houses, towers and churches.  If I were a remote worker, I would like to live there.