Italian village aims to survive Maya prophecy

CISTERNINO - With its whitewashed homes and olive tree groves, Cisternino could be any other town in southern Italy but with one big distinction-it may be the only place to be spared when the world ends.

Some of the residents in the town of a few thousand souls believe they will survive the December 21 apocalypse prophesied by the Mayas.

Even if the world does not self-destruct next week, town authorities are pleased about the influx of curious tourists that the prophecy has brought, AFP reported.

An Indian guru known as Babaji set up a community in the remote part of the Puglia region in the heel of Italy's boot at the end of the 1970s.

While his current whereabouts are not known-followers say he might have been reincarnated-Babaji is reported to have told his devotees that Cisternino "will become an island" when the world comes to an end, persuading many to move there.

"We don't know what will happen on December 21, but we are ready for anything," said Carmen Sisto, deputy head of the Babaji community.