In the past week the name of Sambuca di Sicilia, in the province of Agrigento, resounded all over the globe as all major international newspapers and networks reported the news that, in order to revive the depopulated town, the Council put dozens of houses on the market for 1€. Although the village won the title of ‘Most beautiful village in Italy in 2016‘, it has become much more famous in the past few days thanks to CNN, Telegraph, The Guardian, Time, CNN, CBS, Independent, and many other news outlets.
Following all this interest from the media, everyone seems to want more information and the Council has received over 40,000 thousand e-mails on top of having the phone lines clogged by thousands of incoming calls in particular from the United States and the United Kingdom.
Until a while ago, this gorgeous village on a hilltop with breathtaking views, known as the ‘city of splendor’, seemed destined to become a ghost village because of the intense depopulation. For this reason, and in an attempt to redevelop and enhance the urban heritage of the historic center the Council launched the “Case a 1 euro” (Houses for 1 euro) campaign. As Giuseppe Cacioppo, deputy mayor of Sambuca told CNN, because the Council is not a mere intermediary, but it actually owns the properties on offer, anyone interested can make a purchase more or less immediately. The new owners, however, will have to commit to investing at least 15,000 euros in the renovation of their property within three years from the purchase. But it seems to be still an amazing bargain. Indeed Cacioppo added: “This fertile patch of land is dubbed the ‘earthly paradise’. We’re located inside a nature reserve, packed with history. Gorgeous beaches, woods, and mountains surround us. It’s silent and peaceful, an idyllic retreat for a detox stay.”
Ilona Catani Scarlett