Italy: Ollolai village offering €1 rent for 10 selected newcomers

Rome: The village of Ollolai, which is located in the heart of Sardinia, is offering an extremely low rent price for foreigners wishing to work remotely from there.

In an attempt to increase the population of the village, the local council of Ollolai promises a rental fee of just €1 per month for ten selected newcomers, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

Just recently, the local council made a public call for all those interested in working remotely from the village, with it saying, “Are you interested in working remotely from beautiful Sardinia for just €1?” and noting that all those wishing to take a chance will be “close proximity to untouched nature, delectable cuisine, and the incredible nearby beaches.”

Data show that the population of the village has been both ageing and declining in recent years and for this reason, the authorities want to lure in more foreigners.

The population of the village dropped to 1,174 from 2,013 in the last 40 years due to the migration of residents to larger cities, and now the village wants to repopulate it by offering low prices.

Commenting on the move, the mayor of Ollolai, Francesco Columbu, said that it is of prime importance to curb depopulation. The mayor further stressed that they are also working to improve the living conditions for all residents.

“Revitalising the country, improving the life of the inhabitants and curbing depopulation, these are the objectives we have set for ourselves,” the statement of Columbu reads.

This is not the first time that the village of Ollolai has tried to lure in more foreigners, SBS News explains.

According to the latter, Ollolai made international headlines immediately after it said that it was selling houses that have been abandoned for €1 provided that the owners renovate them.

Since then, the council of the village has sold a total of 13 homes. Three homes that are in poor condition are still on sale, meaning that those interested can still purchase the property and renovate it.

While that previous move sparked a lot of interest, the officials of the village are now hoping to take advantage of digital nomads, who can work from anywhere in the world.

The government of Italy already passed a law on the Digital Nomad Visa in March of last year for highly skilled workers from third countries who wish to work remotely from Italy. However, the visa has not been introduced yet.

Currently, workers from non-EU countries who wish to work remotely from Italy can get a temporary work visa. This type of visa permits them to work for a period of time from Italy.