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You can still buy $1 homes all over Italy
– While most good things get more expensive, one dream got ridiculously cheap in 2019 thanks to the rise of the €1 home in Italy.
CNN Travel broke the news 12 months ago that the village of Sambuca in southern Italy was selling off abandoned, dilapidated homes for just over a dollar as it tried to reverse a trend of rural depopulation.
The story quickly went viral, drawing global interest, particularly as other towns and villages from the northern Alps to sunny Sicily were attempting the same thing.
Soon, some of these towns found themselves besieged by buyers. Mayors fielded thousands of requests, websites crashed, sleepy villages were invaded and locals freaked out.
The silence of narrow alleys was broken by foreign voices and loud reporters. Dusty cobwebbed doors were unlocked for the first time in decades as people lined up early in the morning to secure an Italian casa dolce casa (home sweet home).
As CNN reported in November, some of the first buyers have already moved in and, for once, an offer that seemed too good to be true actually appears to have been worth it.
A year later, has it all died down? Have all the bargain homes been snapped up?
Not quite. It’s still possible to get in on the action.
Below, we’ve rounded up the destinations still offering deals for anyone willing to commit to refurbishing a crumbling Italian home.
And if you’re wondering how you get a slice of the action, here are a few pointers:
For starters, unless you know someone who’s already on board and can advise, it’s worth checking out the towns’ official websites for listings of available properties and application form downloads.
Visiting the area to see what you’re actually signing up for before closing the deal is a good move, though many buyers have grabbed their houses sight unseen.
If your application and documents are approved, the town will contact you regarding the next steps.
But remember the catch: buyers must pay a security deposit varying between €2,000 and €5,000 and commit to refurbishing the property within three years. Once it’s complete and the purchase deed is made, the deposit is refunded.
Here’s a round-up of destinations to help choose the right place.
Gangi
Located in Sicily, near Palermo, this snail-shaped town was one of the first to sell €1 houses back in 2011 and has so far been the most successful.
“We’re really proud,” says Mayor Giuseppe Ferrarello. “Over 160 crumbling dwellings got a makeover thanks to new owners and this has triggered a revival also of the private real estate market. The old center shines again.”
And it’s not yet all sold out — some 15 free homes are still on the market.
The old houses, known as “Pagliarole,” have two floors and were built in the 1800s to accommodate animals on the lower floor and peasant families above.
The homes all have two entrances: one facing the hilltop, the other downhill. These are typical of such “beehive-style hamlets” that sit on hillsides.
Gangi is part of Italy’s Most Beautiful Villages club, an annual honor bestowed on bucolic locations.
The village has Greek origins and a mystical vibe — it’s one of two places in Europe where the Holy Spirit is said to have appeared.
Another divine sight is the view that stretches to the Etna volcano.
Ollolai
Located in the wild mountain region of Barbagia on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, it rises on a pristine patch of land where ancient farming traditions live on.
The houses are made with gray granite rock, while town walls are covered in bright graffiti.
The fresh air, zero smog and great views have a healing power, according to newcomers. In fall, an event known as Cortes Apertas (open courtyards) sees stables and ancient turf taverns open to the public, offering crazily good wine, ham, cheese and a few other delicacies.
In fact, this is a cheese kingdom, famous for its exquisite Casu Fiore Sardo.
Cultural highlights here include a masked carnival with goat costumes and archaic rituals.
Mayor Efisio Arbau says the town has so far sold 10 houses. One’s been turned into a luxury B&B by a Dutch couple.
“The €1houses project has triggered a tourism boom and lured regional investments,” he says. “A modern renaissance is underway.”
Bivona
Bivona is the latest Sicilian town to join the gang, also offering tax bonuses and reduced red tape to anyone wanted to take up residence.
Set inside a rocky amphitheater in the heart of the Sicani Hills park, Bivona lives up to the Latin origins of its name “Bis-bona,” meaning twice good or twice beautiful — a reference to the fertility of its soil and unspoilt nature.
Orange groves, peach trees, Arab-style courtyards, an exotic cuisine of sweet
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