Southern Italy is undergoing catastrophic demographic and industrial decline after six consecutive years of recession, report warns

The decline of the “Mezzogiorno”, the southern regions, has been under way for years, but the report by an economic think tank revealed that its levels of unemployment, industrial contraction and population loss have dramatically worsened after six consecutive years of recession. The demographic 'desertification' of the south may not be evident to foreign visitors who admire the Baroque splendours of Lecce