A town in southern Sicily is the latest in Italy to offer homes for just one euro, or 85p.
Bivona, which has a population of 3,800, is offering its dilapidated homes for the knock down price on the condition that buyers renovate their properties.
As part of the deal, the local authorities are asking for a deposit of £2,100 and a period of four years for owners to bring their houses up to scratch.
Thousands of young people have been leaving Sicily for the mainland and Bivona now joins the villages of Sambuca and Mussomeli on the island in offering homes for a euro this year.
Bivona, which has a population of 3,800, is offering its dilapidated homes for the knock down price on the condition that buyers renovate their properties (pictured: one of the narrow streets in the town centre)
As part of the deal, the local authorities are asking for a deposit of £2,100 and a period of four years for owners to bring their houses up to scratch (pictured: one of Bivona’s cobbled streets)
‘In the last 40 years, our population has halved. Today we’re down to just 3,800 residents,’ Bivona’s culture councillor, Angela Cannizzaro tells CNN.
‘We want to recover the lost grandeur of our greatest time in history, back in the Renaissance, when 8,000 people lived in Bivona and it was a flourishing feudal duchy blessed by Emperor Charles V.’
As well as the cheap homes, Bivona will offer tax breaks for those who decide to take up residence in the town.
Of the dozens of houses up for sale, some are in seriously poor states of repair, while other properties are just ruins with a single free-standing walls.
Built within a natural amphitheatre formed of the surrounding hills, Bivona is situated in a valley full of olive and orange orchards
‘In the last 40 years, our population has halved. Today we’re down to just 3,800 residents,’ Bivona’s culture councillor, Angela Cannizzaro said
It is renowned for its summer Peach Festival which celebrates the white peach of Bivona which is the most common fruit in the region (pictured: the town centre)
‘Renovation can begin one year after all building permits are granted and must be completed within the following three. Also, there will be appealing tax bonuses for those who decide to take up residency and actually move here.’ Cannizzaro told CNN.
The culture councillor added that those who take the plunge will find the townspeople friendly and welcoming.
Built within a natural amphitheatre formed of the surrounding hills, Bivona is situated in a valley full of olive and orange orchards.
It is renowned for its summer Peach Festival which celebrates the white peach of Bivona which is the most common fruit in the region.
Bivona follows Mussomeli, just an hour’s drive away, which announced in May that is was going to offer 500 homes for one euro.
Mussomeli in southern Sicily has put 100 empty properties (pictured) up for sale online for €1, with another 400 expected to follow
Mussomeli (pictured), which sits on a hill two hours south east of Palermo, has Byzantine caves, a medieval castle as well as numerous ancient churches
Some of the homes are very small, but are made up of multiple bedrooms and offer stunning views across the Italian countryside.
Anyone who buys a house has to renovate it within three years or face losing their deposit of £4,270.
And the village of Sambuca, just 30 miles from Bivona, which was named Italy’s most beautiful in 2016, announced a similar scheme in January.
Winner winner: The village of Sambuca was named Italy’s most beautiful in 2016
Location, location, location: This is one of the homes in the village of Sambuca di Sicilia which has been put on the market for one euro – just 85p – in the hopes it can help repopulate the area
It too suffers from under-population and a housing in need of repair and is offering homes for the same low price.
Each one euro purchase comes with a commitment to put down a £4,350 deposit and to spend at least £13,050 on renovations.