In Milan, there are 2,000 people per square kilometer, but in the province of Nuoro, there are just 35. The second Italy, that of depopulation, has the upper hand between the two Italys. Istat projects a loss of five million persons by 2050 and eleven million by 2070. Depopulation is a phenomenon that mostly impacts inland and mountainous regions. There are tiny communities that sell unoccupied properties for a symbolic amount, others that provide a monthly salary to individuals who move there and start a business, and yet others that provide technical gadgets and Internet access. Antonio Decaro, president of the National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI), refers to it as the "counter-exodus agenda," and on Monday in Rome – in the presence of the president, the prime minister, and 5,000 mayors – probably its most ambitious chapter was shown. It is called Polis and it is a project that would convert post offices in towns with less than 15,000 residents, where 16 million Italians reside, into branches of the public administration. It implies that identity cards and passports, personal and judicial certificates, cadastral and Isee surveys, boat licenses, and tax identification numbers may be requested at the post office. The need to drive large distances to go to the court, INPS, Carabinieri barracks, or police headquarters will no longer exist. All of this will cost $1.2 billion, with two-thirds coming from the NRRP's complementary plan and 400 million from Poste Italiane, which primarily offers the digital and logistical network, technologies, places, and employees for a project aimed at bridging the gap between the two regions of Italy.
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