Live Here For $1!
I have shared these stories before: classic European towns willing to sell their buildings for nothing in order to get people to move in – and here’s the latest, in an idyllic Italian mountaintop village!
CNN had the story. As they report, it’s not a gimmick, it’s a real attempt to revitalize a decaying town.
“Yes, Italy’s €1 homes are back — and this time, what’s up for grabs is a collection of houses in the southern region of Molise. Castropignano — a village topped by a ruined medieval castle, 140 miles southeast of Rome — is the latest community to offer up its abandoned buildings to newcomers.”
Would I live here? You bet!
CNN goes on to report:
“There are roughly 100 abandoned buildings here, but rather than sell to the highest bidder, mayor Nicola Scapillati wants to match interested parties with the right house for them.
“The scheme here works a bit differently,” he says. “I’m moving along two parallel paths, reaching out both to potential buyers and old owners at the same time, step by step, to make demand meet supply. I don’t want my town invaded by a property stampede or to turn into the latest housing speculation deal.”
From classic fortresses to “slightly used” buildings, the town is a beautiful trip back to a simpler time – that is ready to embrace the future!
The Mayor also told CNN:
“I welcome anyone who would like to purchase a new home here to email me directly (nicola.scapillati[AT]me.com) with a detailed plan of how they intend to restyle and what they would like to do with the property — make it a home, B&B, store, or artisan shop.
He adds:
“They should also list any requirements they may have, like access for people in wheelchairs. The village is tiny and cars can’t navigate the narrow alleys and steps.”
So what’s the catch? There are, of course, a few conditions – but they seem extremely reasonable.
According to CNN, buyers must renovate the property within three years from the time of purchase and cough up a down payment guarantee of €2,000 ($2,378), which will be returned once the work is finished!
Sounds good to me! You can read the entire story at CNN’s website here:
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/italy-one-euro-homes-castropignano-molise/index.html
As I said, I’ve highlighted other towns in Europe that have also made offers like this one – including this incredible town in France:
The French region of Aisne will pay you to live just a few hours from Paris – if interested, click on my story here for more details:
https://johnrieber.com/2019/05/05/live-outside-paris-and-make-5k-yes-get-paid-to-move-to-france/
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Let me know if you’d stay in this Italian town!
Categories: Books / Media, Exotic Travel, Italy, nature, Real Estate, Travel, Travel Adventures, Uncategorized
johnrieber 
I’m too spoiled and would miss being close to stores, and things, but I can definitely see the appeal.
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This looks like a wonderful dream. I wonder about the everyday- cars, grocery stores, WiFi. Besides that, count me in.
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Jennie, I fear that ALL of those things are lacking!
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Sigh!
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it sure is tempting, and i am half italian, so….
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We only went to Italy once, but we visited some towns like that. I love the idea of towns full of character with windy lanes and no cars and it’s a good way to keep fit. We went to Assisi and bumped into some Australians who asked where the church was – we told them there was a church round every corner!
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HA! Thanks for commenting…while I can’t do it, I kind of love the idea of turning an old town into a modern, forward-looking village!
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I would love to live in that old castle. But I am guessing it would need around $100,000 to make it even basically ‘habitable’, then another $1,000,000 at least for ‘renovation’. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Or even worse: you are the ONLY one to renovate, and you have a great place in the midst of a decaying town…either way, a bit of “wanderlust” as I stay trapped at home!
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It is interesting that in the UK there has been a move away from the cities and into the more rural areas by people who commute weekly or even daily. Now with the work from home, more and more people have moved away from the cities. Strange that this doesn’t seem to have happened in France and Italy.
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Perhaps people don’t always want to move away from cities if they are enjoying the buzz of city life – not that anyone is enjoying the buzz of city life at the moment!
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That’s why these small towns struggle…the young people grow up and move away…I mean, it’s only 140 miles to Rome! Thanks for commenting, love hearing from you!
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Yes, I think there is a lot of truth in this statement [except for now, of course]
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