Local officials on southern Italy’s island of Sicily have put dozens of hilltop homes on the market. (iStock)
Sambuca for a buck — this could be the destination real estate deal of 2019.
Local officials on southern Italy’s island of Sicily have put dozens of hilltop homes on the market for €1 ($1.29 USD).
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Yes, that translates to just over one American dollar — for villas with panoramic views of the Mediterranean on a fertile patch of land dubbed the “Earthly Paradise.”
This shocking real estate proposition is aimed at reviving a community that, like many other rural spots in Italy, has suffered from depopulation in recent years as locals relocate to metropolitan areas.
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There is one catch: The homes are dilapidated and prospective buyers are obligated to invest $17,000 in a refurb within three years. (Yes, you will have to pull a full-on “Under the Tuscan Sun” number on your new joint, a la Diane Lane.)
Sambuca’s not the first Italian town to tease outsiders with seemingly too-good-to-be-true offers, officials admitted to CNN — but they are the first to minimize red tape so anyone interested can make their purchase ASAP.
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“As opposed to other towns that have merely done this for propaganda, this city hall owns all €1 houses on sale,” says Giuseppe Cacioppo, Sambuca’s deputy mayor and tourist councilor. “We’re not intermediaries who liaise between old and new owners. You want that house, you’ll get it no time.”
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Founded by the Ancient Greeks, Sambuca was later conquered by Saracens who transformed it into a once-vital trade hub. The town is named after the Emir Al Zabut, aka “the Splendid One,” says CNN’s Silvia Marchetti. “It’s an open-air museum, a patchwork of contrasting architectural styles.”