Rural life: Individuals return to agriculture and traditional living

Individual stories highlight a growing trend of people returning to rural lifestyles and traditional agriculture.

In Italy, a man named Franco left his family's Apennine farm at age 16 to work in a ceramics factory in Modena. After a decade in the city, he returned to the mountains to preserve his family's land, building his own home from local materials and practicing traditional farming. He reflects on the misconception that happiness is tied to material possession.

In Spain, Paula Nuévalos, a 27-year-old former mechanical engineer from Valencia, returned to her family's agricultural business following her father's death. Through her social media presence, she discusses the distinction between the idealized version of village life enjoyed by summer tourists and the reality of year-round rural living, noting that many people enjoy the social atmosphere of summer but avoid the isolation of winter.