Anna lapwood has given the instrument a whole new fanbase, and now shes releasing an album. Youre all caught up now. See you. This is bbc news. Well have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. Could this be italys hidden gem . Im going off the beaten track, deep into the south. I can feel the music. Its such a good vibe. For generations, its where italians have been holidaying. But is the secret out . This is in a place thats steeped in tradition, and at the same time, its rapidly modernising. Known as the land of two seas, you are never far from the coast. Ah, so refreshing. For the longest time, many of its ancient stone towns have been rapidly declining. But now the call� s going out around the world for people to live, buy and invest here. This is unbelievable. Look at these views. This is totally unique, and a rooftop pool, forfree, from the government. Come on. But how will it keep that balance between staying authentic and affordable. Buongiorno. Buongiorno, buongiorno. Whilst opening up to the world . This week, im in puglia. Now ive travelled a lot through italy. I love this place. Theres great food, theres great wine. But this is my first trip into the heel of the country. In recent years, the area has become more popular with tourists, but also with the government, thats been trying to entice people back to live in the south. So im in a town called presicce acquarica, and here theyre offering people 30,000 euros to buy a home. Sounds like a total bargain. So far, 20 people have applied for the grant. But there may be one more. Hi, you must bejesse. Buongiorno i brought you an espresso. Oh, my gosh. Not sure how long our day will be today. Thank you. Youre a life saver. So, are you looking to move here, jesse . So my parents have roots from bari, and they are looking for a lovely summer home. So im here on behalf of them, to kind of virtually give them an idea of some properties that might interest them. Well, ive got a surprise for you. 0h come on, lets go. 0k, great. So ive arranged a tour for us. How exciting. So we have got a local tour guide, so you can get to know the area, and me too. Hi, francesco. Were ready for our tour. Perfect. The town spreads out from the baroque church, interspersed with lovely piazzas, historic homes, and importantly, gelaterias. Though its population is rapidly declining, last year, the town saw only 60 births, compared to 150 deaths. Francesco, what do you think about all these incentives . Living in our small town probably could be an opportunity for the youngest people, that generally they dont have a lot of money. So it could be important for this kind of person to live. And you need young people here, right . Yeah. Well, my parents are young at heart. Would they be welcome . Absolutely. Now we arrived to the surprise i had for you, the underground oil mills. 0h gosh, its so much cooler down here. Natural air con. In this place was made lamp oil. In all the salento region, we can find a lot of these structures. They are in small numbers in every single town. For exception in procedure, we have these 23 underground mills, because. 23 . 23, yes. The olive oil is probably the main product we have here in puglia. Now lets see what the homes on sale have to offer. Ciao, fabrizio. Ciao, ciao. This is my friend, carmen. Yes, so nice to meet you. So im going to get my parents on the phone real quick so i can call them, so they can be a part of this. So im going to get my parents on the phone real quick so i can call them, so they can be a part of this. Prego. This is my friend, carmen. Hi, mom. Hi, dad. Shes showing us round. Ill tell you more about it later. This is fabrizio. Its a bit of a fixer upper. The church theres a church . And this is the toilet. Were modern now. Do we have to live in presicce, or as a permanent resident . Or can a foreigner purchase this . I the town hall has already launched other funds, including tax benefits for new businesses, and baby bonuses for young families. Thats the view, too. Thats what we want to see. This is lovely. So, jesse, what a surprise. What are you thinking now . I got to be honest, i cannot believe this property, and i really cant wait to talk to my parents and see what they think. This is unbelievable. Look at these views. This is totally unique. Everything that were going for, going for culture and tradition and beautiful architecture that you wouldnt find in america. This is it. And a rooftop pool, forfree, from the government. Come on. Im so pleasantly surprised. Who needs plumbing . We can get there. Well, ive left the rosati family to continue with their House Hunting in presicce acquarica. Before i head to the next town, further north, i want to take a little diversion. I can understand why people would want to move here, because youre never that far from the sea. Think swimming holes, caves, grottoes and places like this. Ive lived in asia for the last 11 years and im used to wide, sandy beaches. There is nothing like this. Check it out. Look at the rock formations. So dramatic. Its stunning. 0oh oh, its so refreshing. Its such a lovely respite from the heat of the car. Bell tolls. Here in the rural south, foreign pensioners and retirees are eligible for a 7 flat tax rate. It may not help with its ageing population, but it seems to be bringing in much needed money back into these communities, like here in carovigno, where im catching up with another couple. Hi, brandie. Hi, greg. Im in your hood. Welcome. Well, were sorry we cant be there with you in person. It would be amazing for you to show me around. What made you want to buy here in the first place . You know, wejust started looking about ten years ago, and we started just looking at the country as a whole. Puglias the least has the least seismic activity of the regions in italy, and so we started looking there. We did everything virtually, their zoom tours, and all of that. And how much work have you had to do to it so far . When we first got there, youre flushing the toilet with a bucket of water. Oh, my gosh . And youre cooking on a camp stove with a head lamp at the bottom of the stairs, because theres no real workable kitchen. Yeah, theres still plenty to be done. We hope you get to go see the house yourself. Please do. I would love to see the house. Well, after a little help from the locals, i think i finally found their place. Is that the bell . 0h, hello. Ah hi, samantha. Hi, carmen nice to meet you. Welcome. Come on in. Thank you. Samantha helped the stuckys find, buy and renovate their puglian home. Oh, its beautiful and light and airy. I like the blue and white scheme. We help people find and restore old ancient homes anywhere in italy, and puglia, its a really popular place because you can get a lot for not a lot of money. Yeah. So theres lots of room for improvement. You got to be careful, watch your head there. Thats ok, because look what you get. How good a deal did they get, and how much do you think greg and brandie have had to spend so far . They got a steal. You know, i think this property was Something Like just over 30,000 euros to buy, and then just maybe 20,000 to take it to this point. I cant imagine the bureaucracy. No, i cant even, and i do it every day. Italy is a forced inheritance country, which means that if youre italian and when you die, you have to pass your assets onto your family down to six generations removed. So the older the house, the more Hand Me Downs this house has become, and therefore, there could be many, many owners on the property, back taxes that havent been paid. Sometimes these sixth removed cousins might not realise that they own it. So this is another thing, another piece you have to be very careful of, that somebody doesnt knock on your door ten years down the road and say, you know, i am an heir of the old owner. I get my house back, and its possible. So you have to be very careful and do your Due Diligence. And the best advice i can give people is that dont fear for losing a property. You have to be patient and do your Due Diligence in order for it to be safe. Incentivising people from abroad to invest may seem confusing, but the money being brought in is allowing younger italians to move back with their families as opportunities open up. Like marco. He started his business here two years ago. Salute. Salute, cheers. Cheers. What are we drinking . We are drinking rose wine. Its lovely. Because puglia is a land of rose. So, marco, how has it changed . How has carovigno changed . When i was child, a lot of houses in the Historical Centre were abandoned. Some of them were burned. Right now, its a really nice Historical Centre, is clean. Its beautiful. Its beautiful, yeah. Because a lot of people invest in rebuild, restyling. So you also wanted to invest. You saw this and. Yeah. Absolutely. I invest in this place even to collaborate with my community, to bring up the name of carovigno. Before i open the bar, there was just the one shop. Now there are three different business, and probably theyre going to open some new business up in a few months. What do other locals feel about more foreigners coming in . How do they feel about it . They are a little, little scared, but basically, i know that this movement is appreciated by the local people, because of course, tourist people bring more finance, and everything is better for every single business. To me, it feels like the key here is attracting enough overseas investment to help rejuvenate, without pricing younger italians out. Lets hope they can get the mix right. For many, bari is the gateway to puglia, with an international airport, and a major seaport on the adriatic. Its usually the first stop, and whilst you might be tempted to whizz straight through, its worth checking out the old town. Not far from the harbour, through some narrow lanes, youll find the famous pasta making street. Locals chatter. So, on my travels here in puglia, ive been hearing all about this contagious dance fever that dates back centuries, here in the south. Its called pizzica or taranta, or dance of the tarantula. And legend has it that it was a type of music and movement that was meant to be some sort of Emergency Cure for spider bite victims. Now, i grew up in australia and i know all about these creepy crawlies, but ive never heard about a dance about them. Im starting in the town of manduria. Its within the salento peninsula, basically, the southern end of puglia, where its still practised, taught and performed. So were here at the dance studio. Im going to learn some steps, but were a bit late, its already started. Bit nervous. Im going tojump in. Euphoric music plays. Im going to die if she chooses me. Carmen chuckles. Oh, my goodness. Shes chosen me ive no idea what im doing the kids are just choosing their outfits for the performance. So everyone� s got a different coloured, brightly coloured skirt. This Archive Footage shows a woman experiencing tarantism. It was especially prevalent from the 15th to the 17th this Archive Footage shows a woman experiencing tarantism. It was especially prevalent from the 15th to the 17th century, but as we can see here, it continued well into the 20th century. She looks like shes in a lot of pain. In a way, she is. Its pretty clear, though, this has nothing to do with the spider bite. What was the real cause, do you think, of tarantism, and why did it only affect women . The whole Peasant Society was oppressed, and the women were the oppressed part of an oppressed class. But nevertheless, in the salento tradition, the women also had a sort of matriarchal power, that they could express in particular situations. Like the dance including the dance. Uhhuh. So it was like a release, like a Cathartic Release for them, like a form of therapy, maybe . The literal part of tarantism was absolutely a form of therapy. The Spider Bite Wasjust a symbol . Yes, just a symbol, because it comes from inside. Right. From the inner realm of desire and of frustration. Well, in stark contrast, every august, for the past 25 years, thousands of people gather in the small town of melpignano, to celebrate La Notte Della Taranta Night of the tarantula. Cheering. Its heavily modernised, and special Guest Performers also take part on a stage built on the grounds of an old convent. Music. And ive managed to catch the cast offstage at their headquarters. Now, this is such a big event, that these guys are practising and touring globally all year round. Music. Its so impressive. Im amazed at the range of instruments here. Theres even a didgeridoo, can you believe . And the dancers. Just beautiful. I can feel the music. Its such a good vibe and its so lively. Bravo well, back in manduria, the sun has started to set, which means its time. And thats my Pizzica Teacherfrom earlier on. Rhythmic music. So theres been a slight change of plan. Were now doing a flashmob in the middle of the piazza. And im taking part oh, my goodness. Slightly nervous. 0k. Rhythmic music. Im out of breath. What a rush i think for me, this is certainly a once in a lifetime experience, and i love how the whole community has turned out, and this has become something of a party. And you know what . I really think this tarantula dance, its a bit like puglia itself, you know, its a place that steeped in tradition, yet at the same time, rapidly modernising. And theyre trying to find that balance between keeping authentic, and also conveying their charm to the people who are now coming to visit, and also people who are coming to live here. And from what ive experienced so far, i really think theyre doing a greatjob. Hello. We may be officially into autumn, but a little dose of summer on the way for some of us over the next few days, notjust here in the uk, but widely across europe. And in fact, temperatures are expected to reach the 30s in spain, france, in the uk, even mid 20s expected in the south in the days ahead. Now, at the moment, there is a little Weather Front heading our way that is going to bring a bit of a mixed bag for some of us. Now, the early hours will be clear, generally speaking, across most of the country, and it will be quite a nippy morning. In fact, in the glens of scotland, it could be around four degrees, but i think for most of us, in the range of around 7 10 celsius. So, it starts off quite sunny and bright at the very least for most of us. But out towards the west, this Rain Crosses Ireland and you can see Thickening Cloud there from the southwest across wales, the irish sea, Northern Ireland and into southwestern scotland. So here, a very different picture to other parts of the country. Outbreaks of rain at times heavy in belfast and also gusty winds around coasts. The north of scotland, most of the north sea coast and further south the weathers looking fine, sunny. I think sunshine for plymouth, for the Isle Of Wight and also for london, where highs will reach 20 celsius. Now, notice that rain never reaches the south. It veers off towards the north, and with that also comes relatively humid air to the south of that Weather Front, and that humid and also quite warm air will spread across many parts of the country. That means that early in the morning, on sunday, it will be very warm. Look at that 16 17 degrees celsius at eight oclock in the south. Now, there will be a little bit of rain around in the morning, i think across parts of wales and the midlands. But eventually, the sun should come out in most areas, and were talking about the mid 20s in the southeast on sunday, a little bit fresher in scotland and Northern Ireland here of around 16 17 celsius. Now, the outlook for the rest of europe shows a large area of High Pressure building across the continent. Thats basically going to allow the warm air to spread all the way to Eastern Parts of europe. Therell be a bit of a blip because this Weather Front will introduce temporarily some slightly fresher air to some parts of europe. But i think overall, its going to stay on the warm side. Lets have a look at a snapshot, then, for some of our cities into the week ahead, and generally speaking, really quite warm. Live from washington. This is a Bbc News Special Report on the impending Us Government shutdown. Its crunch time on capitol hill after republicans reject a measure to temporarily fund the government. Time is running out for us lawmakers to strike a Government Spending deal before saturday nights deadline. Hello, im caitriona perry. Welcome to this special report. The clock is ticking here in washington with just over 2a hours left for lawmakers to strike a deal on Government Spending and avoid a shutdown. In this special report, well bring you interviews with key players on capitol hill and explain how we got here plus the impact of a government shutdown. First, the latest on those talks on capitol hill. On friday, congress rejected a bill to temporarily fund the government making it all but certain that federal agencies will partially shut down beginning sunday. Us House Speaker Kevin Mccarthy failed to convince enough members of his party to back a stop gap
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