Looking for your dream house in Italy? You can get one for just €1 now

Rome: If you ever dreamt of spending life in a beautiful Italian town, this might be your perfect opportunity. An Italian town in South-Western Sicily, Salemi, is auctioning off its abandoned houses for just €1 (INR 82). Several Italian towns have fallen prey to the trend of depopulation and this is the only chance of bringing population back in these spectacular towns of Italy.

Salemi, in the last 50 years, has considerably lost its population after the 1968 earthquake in the Belice Valley. Domenico Venuti. The town mayor said that, “All buildings belong to the city council, which speeds up the sale and reduces red tape. Before launching the scheme we first had to recover the old parts of Salemi where the houses are located, upgrading infrastructures and services from roads to electric grids and sewage pipes. Now the town is ready for the next step.”

The breathtaking hill-town, Salemi is now following the ‘one-euro-home’ trend to attract future residents. The trend was started by the Sicilian towns of Mussomeli and Bivona when they announced the sale of the properties at a starting price of €1.

In Salemi, the homes are situated in the town’s historic centre and are enclosed by the ancient town walls dating back to the 1600s. Some of the houses have balconies offering panoramic views of the surroundings while those on the Belvedere Street offer a green valley view.

To buy a €1 home, the interested person will have to submit a detailed plan on how they will renovate the property, as well as a deposit of €3000. If someone wishes to transform their house into a business that will help in bringing back the economy, and can also apply for tax credits.

In the auction, more than a dozen homes will go on sale and will be sold to the highest bidder.