A picturesque town in Italy is offering a £25,000 payout to people who want to buy a house and move there.
The ancient town of Presicce in the Puglia region is offering the money in hopes of breathing new life into its shrinking community, which is filled with dilapidated houses.
What makes the proposition even more attractive is the fact that Presicce is only a 15-minute drive from the pristine beaches of Italy’s south-east coast, including Santa Maria di Leuca.
It is the latest example of Italian officials spitting out the money to rejuvenate so-called “ghost towns” and rural areas across the country.
In recent years, people around the world dreaming of a place in the sun have bought properties for as little as 90p and pledged to refurbish them.
Presicce is hundreds of years old and was formerly known as the “City of Green Gold” due to its extensive olive industry
An alley in the ancient town of Presicce in Puglia, Italy, where a financial incentive of £25,000 is being offered to potential home buyers
Presicce is located in the south-east of Italy in the “heel” of the country. It is only a 15-minute drive from the country’s beautiful coastline
The old town of Presicce houses a number of essentials including a post office, supermarkets and a bank. The cinema in the photo above has been abandoned
The money could be used to buy and refurbish a home, according to a local councillor, with homes on sale there from just over £21,000.
“We are offering up to $30,000 for people who want to move here and buy one of these abandoned houses,” Alfredo Palese told CNN.
“The overall funding will be divided into two parts: it will go partly to buy an old house and partly to restyle it if necessary.”
The old town is surrounded by greenery and has its own post office, bank and supermarkets.
During the Renaissance, Presicce was known for its extensive olive groves and high quality olive oil. Presicce is full of evidence of its history as the “City of Green Gold”, as it used to be called.
Large underground olive mills can still be found in tunnels and chambers beneath the city’s streets, as part of a sprawling underground city popular with tourists.
It merged with a nearby city in 2019 to create a larger community, although underpopulation and low birth rates are still problems.
“There are many vacant houses in the historic city center that were built before 1991 that we would like to bring back to life with new residents,” said Mr. Palese told CNN.
The port town of Santa Maria di Leuca and its beautiful clear water and white sand beach is only 15 minutes from Presicce
Santa Maria di Leuca is situated between the Adriatic and Ionian seas and just a short drive from Presicce
“It’s a shame to see our old neighborhoods full of history, beautiful architecture and art slowly emptying out.”
To qualify for the cash incentive, buyers must purchase a home in the village that was built before 1991. Details are available on the local government website. The cheapest houses there are small apartments that need to be renovated.
Presicce is just the latest Italian town to offer tempting incentives to attract new residents.
The Italian city of Sambuca sold houses for as little as €1, and one of these was later marketed by Airbnb as a year-long rent-free home to a lucky tenant.
Last year it emerged that a dilapidated Italian “ghost town” had been given new life after dozens of houses were bought for just £1 by buyers around the world.
People from countries as far away as Russia, China and the US spent the toll money on a house in Garfagnana, Tuscany.
Since 2020, Catropiagnano has been offering abandoned houses in Molise for just 90p (€1).
Located in two picturesque Italian villages, the buildings were acquired as part of a project aimed at reversing the effects of depopulation.
Reconstruction projects for more than 40 of the two towns called Fabbriche di Vergemoli and Fabbriche di Vallico, abandoned houses, will start in 2021.
The “House for one euro” project was launched in 2016 to counter the migration of the northwestern municipality of Fabbriche di Vergemoli.
The initiative began after 2016 and administrators say they receive more than 2,000 requests each year.
A year earlier, the idyllic mountain town of Castropignano started offering abandoned houses for as little as 90p (€1).
The medieval town, which is just an hour from ski resorts and beaches, launched the scheme after newcomers to the area were offered £22,635 (€25,000) to live there.
Molise, situated between the peaks of the Apennines and the Adriatic coast, offered the amount to live in its deserted villages after all its young people had left.
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Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
