Calabria is located in Southern Italy. Many villages in the region suffer massive population decline as large groups of local have emigrated to the north. A number of these villages have carried out a remarkable experience of refugee welcoming. Riace is one of the oldest and probably most famous examples of the areas revitalized thanks to its welcoming and active reception of migrants. Some of the villagers have come back from the north motivated by the flourishing and strong collaboration with immigrants. New shops have been open producing and selling traditional art crafts, as well as bed and breakfasts, workshops and art exhibitions. The major of the village, Domenico Lucano - listed by Fortune Magazine as one of the 2017’most influential personalities in the world - and the local population have innovated the "Riace Model" , which also inspires other villages and invites them to follow the experience and tailor it according to their own settings and different dynamics between the municipal management and the local associations. Camini, just a few kilometers away from Riace is one them. Salvini, the new right wing Minister of Interior Affairs, has constantly contested the Riace project and used his newly attained power to downplay its achievements. The new governmental office of Reggio Calabria's Municipality, in which Riace is included, has severely cut the financing of the entire welcoming project, making it difficult to survive. That’s why the major and a number of immigrants along with locals started a hunger strike on August 2018 and decided to close the workshops and shops linked to the project temporarily. People in Riace, although frustrated, are struggling to keep this sample of coexistence alive.