In Polino, the mayor and councilors accompany citizens to do their shopping.

Mario is 82 years old and lives alone in a stone house just above the village of Polino, population 215, in the province of Terni. He no longer has a car, and since the last small shop closed, grocery shopping has become a problem. This has been solved thanks to the pickup service provided by the municipal administration. So, a few days before his grocery shopping date, Mario calls the Polino municipal offices or theValnerina Citizenship Office (which also coordinates Arrone, Ferentillo, Montefranco and Polino) to book the municipal pickup.

On the appointed day, the departure is scheduled for 8:8,30 a.m., in front of the town hall. The group consists of residents who have booked, and the destination is Arnone (12 kilometers away) or Terni (23 kilometers away). The mayor of Polino, Remigio Venanzi, or even a city councilor may act as chaperone.

To go grocery shopping, Mario leaves the house slowly, carrying a folded cloth bag in his pocket and a handwritten list: pasta, milk, a little meat, and the usual fresh bread to pick up on his return. The atmosphere in the pickup is very familiar, and Mario usually sits next to 89-year-old Lucia, also out shopping, and time passes between memories of when the village still had a grocery store and a greengrocer, and the ongoing price comparisons of olive oil, pasta, and bread. The grocery pickup service is one of the levers the municipality of Polino is using to win the battle against depopulation. To this same end, the mayor has managed to keep a bar open in the area. the name is “Lu Tappo”Open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., it has become a meeting place for young and old. With €165,000 from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), it has created a "local clinic," where a doctor and nurse are available for analysis, electrocardiograms, and radiological tests. A telemedicine service is also available. 

Cover image source: Il Messaggero

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