Remote Sicilian Town Is Growing Into A ‘Little America’ Thanks To One-Euro Homes

Photo 179162353 © Peewam | Dreamstime.com

With the allure of a change in scenery at bargain prices wafting in the air, people packed up their bags and relocated to some of Italy’s old-timey towns.

The remote village of Sambuca di Sicilia is now home to a community of Americans, who rushed to acquire properties that the hilltop town was giving up for the price of a cup of espresso. Sambuca was among the first involved in a 1 Euro Houses project to revive the culture of forgotten towns. These are places whose populations have typically dwindled as younger generations venture out for better opportunities.

In 2019, Sambuca began offering up homes for €1 each in hopes to draw in new residents from other parts of the world and supplement its population. The houses would go to the highest bidders, who also had to complete paperwork and foot their own renovation bills.

The campaign proved to be so successful, CNN Travel reports that the town has carved a reputation as something of a “Little America.”

Deputy mayor Giuseppe Cacioppo shares that nearly 80% of interested buyers are either American or hail from the United States. Some apparently even flouted COVID-19 travel restrictions to view the houses.

More than converting the abodes into holiday homes, many new residents are instead consciously doing their part to elevate the town’s repute and boost its economy, CNN Travel notes.

One businessman, for instance, started a crowdfunding project to renovate his acquired properties, which he’ll then give away. Donations will also help support Sambuca’s infrastructure. Meanwhile, one French-Canadian lawyer is turning her two-story home into a safe space for artists.

[via CNN Travel, cover photo 179162353 © Peewam | Dreamstime.com]