A small town in southern Sicily has become the latest rural Italian location to start selling off its real estate for just one euro, offering would-be buyers a slice of Mediterranean history and life at a bargain price – if they can rise to the challenge.
It’s a dream many have nurtured, but few have dared to pursue: finding a romantic, rundown house in a scenic landscape and buying it cheaply enough to transform it into a charming home or holiday retreat. Rural Italy features prominently in influencer content promoting this type of “one-euro renovation project”, as depopulation and the large number of abandoned properties have pushed municipal authorities to take drastic measures.
@ericaanicotraaaa ♥️ il mio paese è un gioiellino #sicilia #naro #siciliabedda #agrigento ♬ Sicilian Vibes – Brosky TSW
In Sicily alone, the western and central towns of Mussomeli, Salemi and Sambuca di Sicilia have launched similar house purchase schemes aimed at reversing the rural exodus and attracting new residents (and taxpayers) to their communities. Now, Naro, further south than the others, is creating its own framework to do the same.
Naro is close to one of Sicily’s prime archaeological sites, the Valle dei Templi, or Valley of the Temples, an outstanding example of ancient Greek art and architecture included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The wider Agrigento region offers centuries of cultural influences, stunning views over the Mediterranean and, of course, plenty of authentic Sicilian cuisine.
The town is competing with pioneering schemes in Mussomeli, Salemi and Sambuca, which have garnered significant media coverage and have largely been seen as successes. Incoming participants there now benefit from relatively well-established expat networks. Prospective buyers in Naro, in contrast, will be more reliant, at least at first, on developing language skills, local contacts and their own support networks.
There is not much to separate the four towns when it comes to the conditions for buying one of the one-euro properties. Buyers are required to supply a refundable deposit of approximately €5,000 and undertake to complete the works within three years. All the structural surveys, preparation, restoration, renovation, certification and legal costs, usually estimated at between €15,000 and €30,000, must be borne by the buyer.
To even begin the process, interested buyers need to submit a formal application to municipal authorities, laying out their plans and finances. Despite recent controversies over Italian immigration and citizenship rules, the scheme is open to both Italian and international investors, and US, UK and other European buyers are reportedly being encouraged by the local administration to apply.
Meanwhile, if the financial commitment is too much for now, it could be worth waiting for another scheme with built-in incentives, such as Presicce-Acquarica’s scheme in southern Puglia, which in 2022 began offering house purchasers €30,000 to relocate there.
