IT seems almost too good to be true - so is it? A picture-postcard Italian village is offering up its abandoned properties to newcomers as part of a trend in the country to sell old, empty homes for as little as €1, which works out at 90p.

 

What’s the town?

Castropignano, a village in the Molise region, 140 miles south-east of Rome, is the latest place to offer up its dilapidated, abandoned buildings for next-to-nothing, in a bid to tempt newcomers to settle and repopulate the once thriving communities.

 

It’s not the first Italian spot to adopt this strategy?

The hilltop village is following in the footsteps of villages such as Cinquefrondi in the Calabria region and Salemi in Sicily, which have also tried to encourage newcomers to takeover empty buildings and inject new life into the area, offering up properties for as little as €1 - 90p or $1.20.

 

It’s a pretty place?

Castropignano is topped by a medieval castle, set in rolling Italian countryside, with only one restaurant and bar. And it is the aim of Mayor Nicola Scapillati to revitalise the community. He said: “I want to stop the decline in its tracks, keep the village flame alive. I'm driven by passion and love for my hometown.”

 

Making a match?

Scapillati said he wants to match potential buyers with properties that suit their dreams, saying: “I welcome anyone who would like to purchase a new home here to email me directly at nicola.scapillati@me.com with a detailed plan of how they intend to restyle and what they would like to do with the property – make it a home, B&B, store or artisan shop.”

 

The overall aim?

Reversing a depopulation trend caused by young people heading off to cities for education and in search of work is the main objective. Today, there are around 900 residents in Castropignano, down from 2,500 in the 1930s. Around 60% of residents are over 70.

 

What are the houses like?

Situated between Rome and Naples, Castropignano is not a tourist hub and this means the area retains its authenticity. Castropignano's abandoned properties are situated above the castle that has no roof, having been bombed during the war, with many of its stones then used to build the houses which are now on offer. 

 

So…what’s the catch?

Conditions are attached, of course, requiring buyers to renovate the properties within three years from purchase and offer up a guarantee at the outside of €2,000 ($2,378), to be returned when the work is completed. The Mayor believes that most properties would need renovated to the tune of €30,000-40,000.

 

Interest so far?

Scapillati said dozens of potential buyers have been in touch from across Europe, looking for a little ‘dolce vita’. He said: ”Here we've got nothing grand to offer except peacefulness, silence, pristine nature, oxygen-rich air, great views and fantastic food, ideal to detox from the daily stress. It's not buzzing with life, that I must say, but it's peaceful and simple”.