Travel

The key to reviving a 'crumbling' ghost town? Make it Instagrammable

By Caroline CubbinPublished June 24, 2025, 10:30 a.m. ET 

After years of decline, a small city in Italy has transformed into a bustling tourist town, where visitors from around the world flock to snap photos of the town's suddenly famous murals.

Stornara, a once-prosperous city in Puglia known for its agricultural production, has faced economic hardship in recent decades as its young population left for better-paying jobs in bigger cities.

Though some locals began to resign themselves to the empty streets and broken-down buildings, Lino Lombardi, an artist, decided to try to bring the city back to life.