Sambuca, a beautiful Sicilian village, just 80 kilometers from Palermo and 89 from Agrigento, was a leading municipality in Italy in the "1 Euro Homes" project, a housing policy for villages at risk of depopulation. And the results are there.
The initial conditions were disastrous: Sambuca, located in the Belice Valley, had first seen the damage of the terrible 1968 earthquake, and then the slow but inexorable depopulation. It seemed like a village destined to disappear. Yet, thanks to this project, the population has returned to over 5 residents, with many foreigners arriving (who have chosen to live here) as well as Italians and Sicilians who have moved from the island's large cities.
Bolstered by this comprehensive change, the municipal administration of Sambuca, led by Mayor Giuseppe Cacioppo, has raised its stakes and launched a major auction for municipally owned homes, with a symbolic starting price of €3. This figure, of course, serves only to provide a compelling title for the initiative, but it's still a starting price that has immediately captured the attention of thousands of potential buyers, both in Italy and abroad.
The couple are Lindsey Fitzgerald, 36, a Google manager; her husband, Robert Mosley, 44, an advertising writer; and their two children, Mark, 4, and Maisy, who just turned 7. By participating in the auction, Lindsey managed to win a two-story building in the Arab part of the village (the name Sambuca derives from "Zabut," the ancient castle named after the emir Al Zabut) for just €5.323.
To participate in the "3 Euro Homes" competition, you must make certain commitments: the sale is made as a lump sum, in the property's current state; the buyer is required to complete the renovation within three years of the deed of sale; and an initial deposit is required.
Here you find All the information for participating in the tender and which properties are for sale.
At the beginning, when the project to sell homes at symbolic prices was launched, almost all buyers were foreigners, predominantly Americans. Then Italians and Sicilians also began buying, attracted by the favorable conditions and the opportunity to live in a beautiful location, well-positioned geographically, with a significantly lower cost of living than average, and able to guarantee the technological connections necessary for smart working. This is the real leap in quality in the sales of homes for €1 and €3. No longer an attempt to stem the depopulation of a village through the possibility of obtaining a "deal," but a grassroots effort to give the place a new identity, with its associated social and economic functions. Confirmation of this turning point in Sambuca also comes from a significant detail: many people who were unable to buy for €1 nevertheless decided to move to the Sicilian village, purchasing properties even in the surrounding countryside at market prices (certainly more favorable than in urban areas). This is another sign of a region discovering a new life. And a new life has begun for Sambuca too, made up of tourism, artisanal activities and services.
Read also:
- Ollolai: the village that's coming back to life with one-euro homes and smart working.
- Bassano: Where to rent houses for 100 euros a month
- The most beautiful villages in Italy, region by region
- The most beautiful villages in Northern Italy
- The most beautiful villages in Central Italy. What to see and why you should live there.
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