Rubia Daniels, a San Francisco-based individual, purchased three dilapidated homes in Mussomeli, Sicily, for just €1 ($1.10) each as part of a housing project called Case 1 Euro.
Daniels was charmed by the town's rich history, welcoming residents, and saw the opportunity to restore abandoned homes as an environmental concept.
She plans to convert one house into an art gallery, use another as her own residence, and transform the third into a wellness center for the community.
The restoration project began in late 2019 but was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Daniels resumed renovations in 2020 and splits her time between San Francisco and Mussomeli.
Other towns in Italy have also offered incentives to repopulate their dwindling populations. In 2021, nine villages in Calabria offered millennials $33,000 to relocate and help revitalize their towns.
The villages had fewer than 2,000 residents and were facing the risk of becoming ghost towns. Offers included cash payments and affordable homes.
In 2020, the village of Cinquefrondi in Calabria offered homes for $1.14 as part of "Operation Beauty" to attract new residents.
Cammarata, a town in central Sicily, gave away houses for free in 2019 to prevent the town from falling into disrepair. However, potential homeowners need to be prepared for extensive renovations.