In a bid to revive their fortunes, several small towns in Italy are coming up with attractive schemes to lure more residents.
From selling dilapidated homes for $1 to offering houses at throwaway prices, there’s been a frenzy of competition.
According to CNN, the officials at Presicce town in the Puglia region are willing to pay people 30,000 euros (roughly $30,000) to buy an empty plot and take up residency.
“There are many empty homes in the historical centre built before 1991 which we would like to see alive again with new residents,” Alfredo Palese, local Presicce councillor, which dates to the Middle Ages, told CNN.
Officials hope that the cash offer will manage to attract potential residents to take up residence in the town, which has been witnessing a fall in the birth rate.
“It is a pity witnessing how our old districts full of history, wonderful architecture and art are slowly emptying.”
Even though the details of the deal are being finalised, Palese said that the authorities are looking to open up applications in the upcoming weeks where people can find all the relevant information on the town hall website.
“We will be offering up to 30,000 euros to people willing to move here and buy one of these abandoned dwellings,” he says.
One of the main qualifications to get this incentive is that buyers must take up residency in Presicce and buy one of the properties built before 1991.
“The total funding will be split in two: it will go partly into buying an old home and partly into restyling it, if needed.”
The offer is being funded through a merger with a neighbouring town in 2019. Presicce was merged with Acquarica as a result of which extra money filled up with the state coffers to ensure that the offer continues for years.
“After the merger, as per Italian law, our wider territory will be blessed with more public funds, roughly [1 million] euros per year for several years forward, which we intend to invest to revitalize the old district,” Palese was quoted as saying.
(With inputs from agencies)
