Roberta Perrone has
more freedom as she has a proper income from a job at the Fiat
factory. 1
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Melfi is
in Basilicata region - in the 'instep' of the foot of Italy - in
the middle of the Deep South. 2
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The Fiat company has
created 7000 new jobs and many of the workers are young - the
average age is 27. They hope to reduce the 'brain drain' from
the South to the North. 3
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Pasqualle
Chiarelli would like to start his own business eventually. He
can't see himself getting up at 3.30 a.m. to catch the 4.30 bus
for his 6.30 a.m. shift at Fiat Melfi for ever. 4
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The Deep South is cut
off from the big cities of the north and roads were poor in the
past. 5
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Fiat took
the economic decision to open the factory as wages are 30% lower
in Melfi than in Turin. 6
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The Deep South used to
be dominated by agriculture - tomatoes, olives, herbs and wheat
from which pasta could be made. 7
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Roads have
been built across the hillsides to improve links to the north.
These can be seen from miles away. 8
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The Deep South is
called the Mezzogiorno and the Italian government has poured
money into the area for over 50 years. 9
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Pasqualle
Chiarelli had a well paid job in the North but the cost of
living was higher so he thought he be better off back with his
parents. 10
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Fiat has brought
modern working practices to the South and is investing in and
educating its young workers. 11
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Many
components companies supply parts to the Fiat factory. One
example is the steelworks from Taranto. 12
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Industrial estates
have grown up on the edge of Melfi and they have 'eaten up'
olive groves and vineyards. 13
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For many
years people migrated away from the Deep South because there was
a shortage of jobs. 14
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Roberta Perrone does
not plan to be like her mother. She wants a partner to share
household chores. She wants more from life than to just care for
her man and her children. 15
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A lot of
the investment has been wasted partly because of corruption. A
lot of the development schemes were nicknamed 'cathedrals in the
desert'. 16
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Pasqualle Chiarelli
has more free time now because his mum cooks for him and washes
his clothes. he can enjoy his hobbies like running. 17
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Guiseppe
de Leo has realised that many of Fiat's workers travel long
distance to get to work. He is building apartment blocks near
the factory and hopes that the workers will decide to buy them.
18
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Some of the original
factories that became 'cathedrals in the desert' have closed and
are not unsightly rusting derelict scars in the landscape. 19
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Roberta
had to persuade her family to let her work in a factory. She saw
that it would give her money and money would give her
independence. 20
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The South is greener
than before as irrigation schemes have modernised agriculture -
especially in the long summer drought. 21
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Over 4
million people moved to the North of Italy or even abroad to the
rest of Europe or the USA or Australia. 22
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