Presicce, Puglia, Italy: This stunning town will pay you $46k to move there

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Presicce, Puglia, Italy: This stunning town will pay you $46k to move there

By Alan Granville
Updated
Presicce in Apulia, Italy.

Presicce in Apulia, Italy.Credit: iStock

Stop if you have heard this before, but there is a picture-perfect Italian town willing to give people money to move there.

Yes, beautiful Presicce in Puglia is the latest of a long-line of town and villages looking for fresh blood to help regeneration.

So what is the deal on the table here?

A narrow street typical of the Puglia region.

A narrow street typical of the Puglia region.Credit: iStock

Well those who decide to move to the heel of the boot of Italy will get €30,000, or $A46,000, to do up an abandoned property. They will then need to buy one of the houses that are part of the deal, and these cost from €25,000 each.

Local councillor Alfredo Palese told CNN that "there are many empty homes in the historical centre built before 1991 which we would like to see alive again with new residents".

"It is a pity witnessing how our old districts full of history, wonderful architecture and art are slowly emptying."

The €30,000 will be split in two, part of it to buy the home and then the rest to do it up.

The details are still being worked on but those brave enough to take up the offer will be rewarded with one of the most unspoilt areas in Italy and Europe, with the white sand beaches and turquoise waters of Salento's Santa Maria di Leuca just a short drive away.

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Credit: iStock

It merged with another community in 2019 to create the larger town of Presicce-Acquarica, which has allowed it to tap into more funds.

To qualify for the scheme, buyers have to fork out for a house built before 1991 and agree to move to the town permanently to renovate the property.

A couple of months ago the island of Sardinia was flashing the cash to get people to move there.

It launched a scheme worth more than €105 million to entice people to come and buy a home on the island.

In 2019, Bivona, deep in the heart of Sicily, began selling homes for €1, as did nearby Mussomeli.

The same year Cammarata, known as the village with a thousand balconies, gave dilapidated homes away free under the proviso restoration would start within three years.

Buyers at all three sites would also need to pay about €5000 as a deposit, which was, in most cases refundable once work began.

In January 2020, Bisaccia in the Campania region offered 90 dilapidated buildings for just for €1 each.

Stuff.co.nz

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