Patrica is a remote medieval village of 3,000 residents located south of Rome. Credit: Comune di Patrica via CNN NewsourceItaly’s 1-euro home sales have been attracting a lot of interest over the past few years, with dozens of buyers snapping up abandoned properties in some of the country’s depopulated towns.This California couple bought a cheap home in Italy. Then they bought another
In an attempt to breathe new life into the dying village, the town’s mayor, Lucio Fiordaliso, has been trying to emulate the success of other Italian villages who’ve put their empty homes up for sale for 1 euro, or just over a dollar U.S. He’s so far had little success. Fiordaliso said that the town received a “positive response” from 10 owners after sending out a “public call to involve them in our 1-euro-homes project,” but they withdrew at the last minute. The rest never replied.
“The disposal of potential 1-euro homes faced a deadlock as most relatives sharing the same property were at odds with one another for personal reasons or couldn’t agree on the sale. Some hardly spoke or knew each other, others lived in distant cities and even abroad,” says the mayor. “We thought, ‘Why not give it a go?’ Even if it’s just for 1 euro, we’d be rid of a heap of useless stones. We were curious to see if someone might be interested anyway in buying it,” says Valleco.
In the meantime, Fiordaliso has been coming up with new ways to boost the town’s appeal in the hope of luring newcomers.