Italian village offers $1 homes for Americans to escape Trump presidency
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The village, located in the rural mountainous Barbagia region, now has 1,150 residents.
PHOTO: LIVEINOLLOLAI.COM
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An Italian village is offering houses from €1 (S$1.42) to Americans seeking to escape the upcoming Trump presidency.
The village of Ollolai, on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, launched a website on Nov 19 promoting the initiative as a novel way to boost its flagging population.
Around 1,150 residents now live in the village, located in the rural mountainous Barbagia region where the island’s famous beaches are about an hour’s drive away.
“Are you worned (sic) out by global politics? Looking to embrace a more balanced lifestyle while securing new opportunities? It’s time to start building your European escape in the stunning paradise of Sardinia,” the website said.
The response has been good, despite the lack of photos and plans of the properties.
Within a day of its launch, Ollolai mayor Francesco Columbu said the website recorded over 156,000 visitors, of which 30,000 were requests from prospective residents.
Mr Columbu said photos and plans of the properties will soon be uploaded on the site.
While the scheme is open to other nationalities, Mr Columbu said American applicants will be “fast-tracked” as he “loves” the United States and is convinced Americans are the best people to help revive his community.
“We just really want, and will focus on, Americans above all,” he told US news channel CNN. “We are betting on them to help us revive the village, they are our winning card.”
There’s a catch, however. The €1 houses are mostly in a dilapidated state and will need massive repairs to make them habitable.
For those who want to move in immediately, there are ready-to-occupy houses too – these go for up to €100,000.
To further sweeten the deal, Mr Columbu said there will be a team of experts to help guide people through the process of buying a property, dealing with paperwork or finding contractors for renovation works.
Ollolai, which claims to be the birthplace of the global €1 house phenomenon, first launched the scheme in 2018. To date, it has seen the sale of 10 such houses.
It had also launched a scheme to attract digital nomads. British daily The Guardian reported that 10 American professionals moved to the village in 2023 and are paying just €1 a month in rent.
Trump’s victory in the presidential election has prompted many Americans to look at moving abroad
The Republican leader will be sworn in on Jan 20, 2025.
