The Italian village of Ollolai—located in the mountainous region of Barbagia, Sardinia—is selling 200 of its historic stone houses for just €1 (approximately $1.25). Sound too good to be true? Well, there’s a catch. The rustic homes are in need of repair, and will only be sold to people willing to invest hard work, and the additional restoration funds—which, according to CCN, would likely cost around $25,000. Moreover, whoever’s up for the challenge must also complete any restoration work within three years.
Part of an Italian project called Case a 1 euro, the scheme’s long-term goal is to rejuvenate small Italian towns that are at risk of becoming abandoned. As younger residents move to larger cities in search of new opportunities, the population of Ollolai has dwindled by almost half in the past 50 years, with just 1,300 inhabitants today. In an attempt to reverse the problem, the town’s mayor, Efisio Arbau, asked the former owners of the crumbling dwellings to donate them so they could be put on the market. “We boast prehistoric origins,” said Arbau. “My crusade is to rescue our unique traditions from falling into oblivion.”
So far, three of the historic stone homes have sold, and more than 100 offers have come from around the world. If you feel up for the challenge, you can download the application documents (in Italian) via the Case a 1 euro website.
The Italian village of Ollolai, Sardinia is selling 200 of its historic stone houses for only €1 (approx $1.25).
But there’s a catch… the crumbling homes are in need of repair, and restorations must be completed within three years.
The project’s long-term goal is to rejuvenate the small Italian town, where the population has dwindled by almost half in the past 50 years.
Case a 1 euro: Website
h/t: [Inhabitat]
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