This Italian town is offering 'free' houses, but there's a catch
By now, you should be familiar with the “come and buy a house in Italy for less than the price of a coffee” concept, or at least some similar appeal that sounds too good to be true.
There was the hilltop Italian town selling homes for less than $2, the picturesque village offering people $15k to move, and even an abandoned home, yours for $1.70.
Well not to be outdone, the good folks at the small Sicilian town of Cammarata have gone one better – get a house for “free”.
Yup, that’s absolutely nothing… sort of.
At least 100 homes have been left abandoned over the years and mayor Vincenzo Giambrone is keen to get the town buzzing again.
“I can’t stand to see this gorgeous, old historical centre empty and turn into a ruin. It hurts me,” he told CNN Travel.
“It leaves a deep scar on the townscape with the risk of dangerous collapses.”
The town, which is built 1000 metres above sea level, has a rich history having been founded by the Byzantine Greeks.
So what’s the catch?
First of all, you must renovate the property within three years of the purchase. There is also a €5000 (AUD$8690) deposit, which you’ll get back once the work is done.
You’ll also need a good refurbishment proposal.
If you happen to be a young couple with children, you go straight to the top of the queue, and even claim a €1000 (AUD$1613) incentive
“Visitors and guests come first, even before our own family,” says Giambrone. “Newcomers trigger change, innovation, new ideas. They revamp the local economy and can kick start a revolution.”
This story originally appeared on stuff.co.nz
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