L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019 www.italoamericano.org 8 O ur readers may remember we did tackle the subject before: there are homes for sale in Italy for just 1 euro. Mind, the news made it big in the US, so you probably didn't only hear it from us. Let's give you a bit of a recap, though, in case you missed that article or haven't really paid much attention to the real estate world in the past 12 months. As incredibly unusual as it may be to the eye of those among us who cannot think of a better way to spend their life than residing in a small hamlet, up on a hill in the Italian coun- tryside, our youth have been leaving their country's villages for the best part of a century; in a way, it all began when so many left to move to the US, seeking a better life, away from villages they loved, but where life had become increasingly hard. And the trend continued throughout the decades. Then the war came, and souls were lost, so many of them. And after? After, young men and women were attracted by cities and the many opportu- nities of work they offered. And so, slowly but steadily, hundreds of beautiful villages, rich in tradition and history, have lost most of their inhabitants, and now risk to become a ghost of their previous, beautiful selves. This is why, a while back, a number of locations, especially in the South, have been offering homes within their territory for as little as the price of a coffee: we're talking about traditional, old homes, many of them aban- doned for years, and certainly in need of some TLC, but with a buying price that low, surely ren- ovation shouldn't be a problem. Notably, Ollolai in Sardinia and Sambuca, in Sicily, took part to the project, with the aim of bringing much needed inhabi- tants and, possibly, business, to their beautiful but sadly empty streets. Of course, you have to qualify for the project, by agree- ing to renovate within two years and proposing a renovation plan that'd need to be approved, but that seems only fair. An amazing idea, but not without some drawbacks, if you think you may have to virtually spend your euro "a scatola chiusa," especially if you live abroad. But there are two vil- lages that decided to make the procedure a whole lot simpler for prospective buyers, by creating websites and hiring realtors dedi- cated to their 1 euro properties. And so, Zungoli, a hamlet in Campania, not far from Naples and the Amalfi Coast, and Mus- someli, in Sicily, have been dedicating time and effort to publicize their special properties on the net, so that they can reach as many people as possible. Zungoli became one of the Borghi più Belli d'Italia in 2015, and this alone should make us want to move there: not only because that means it must be an amazingly pretty place to live, but also because to be awarded villages have to meet specific standards of respect of heritage and tradition, and main- tenance of their artistic patrimo- ny. A medieval jewel, home to only 1000 people where, though, infrastructures have been recently revamped and quality of life, says its mayor Paolo Caru- so to CNN, is very important. Caruso and its team created a website dedicated to these prop- erties, with the aim of helping potential buyers view and gather information about the homes. Photos, location, type of renova- tion needed, all is listed on the webpage and, soon, a team of real estate experts will also start working to deal directly with buyers: no worries, though, they'll definitely speak English! Mind, Zungoli could be a great opportunity not only for those who want to resettle in Italy or get a nice holiday home, but even for those who wants to get into business: indeed, there is no limitation to the use you can make of the property you buy, which could be also used as a B+B, an agriturismo or even a store, if that's what you want. Things are not much different in Mussomeli, Sicily, a town known for its natural amenities and nicely surrounded by euca- lypti and honeysuckles. Toti Nigrelli, the local heritage coun- cilor, says there are about 100 houses for sale at the moment and that 400 more may soon become available. The Mus- somely 1 euro property website has photos of all homes, an inter- active map and information both in Italian and English. The local council also hired a real estate agency to deal directly with all potential buyers, so that the path to getting that dream home — even if it takes some renovation work — will run as smooth as good olive oil. The people of Zungoli and Mussomeli, just like those of Sambuca and Ollolai before them, decided to take the plunge and save their own village from oblivion, and it may well work: if it's true that rural areas every- where in the world have been suffering the consequences of the decline of traditional agriculture and activities, it is also true more and more people, even among those very "young generations" we usually see leaving, have been considering the advantages of a more tranquil, traditional life, often after having spent a decade or so working and living a city life. Their return, along with the arrival of new inhabi- tants who will bring not only business and money, but also human capital to these lands, could really make a difference in the long run. Of course, the mira- cle won't happen overnight, but one must start somewhere, and investing in an old home may just be as good a beginning as any other. Ollolai has been one of the first villages in Italy to offer its abandoned homes for 1 euro @ Gianni Careddu Mussomeli, in Sicily has also created a website for its one euro properties and a dedica- ted real estate agency has been recently opened In Zungoli, a website and a team of real estate consultants have been created to help potential buyers interested in its 1 euro properties Recently, Sambuca was voted among the most beautiful villages in Italy. Today, some of its older homes are up for sale for just one euro @Rino Porrovecchio/Flickr Has getting a cheap house in Italy just become easier? CHIARA D'ALESSIO NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS

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