Italy’s south flourishes with tourism

IN a rundown neighbourhood of Sicily’s capital Palermo, a whitewashed old farmhouse that accommodates pilgrims now offers two rooms to tourists for bed and breakfast (B&B) after a renovation.

As foreign visitors flock to Sicily, last year Brother Mauro Billetta, head of the parish in the Danisinni neighbourhood, decided that revenue from B&B guests could help lift the area out of decades of neglect. Two months ago, he also opened a cafe at the farmhouse, overlooking the vegetable garden.