Buyers have to renew them within three years or return them
According to an article in the Mail Online, released on Tuesday, so far 100 properties have been put up for sale, the same is expected to happen with another 400. The announcement of the sale by the local government has been made through posters placed on the doors of houses.
Anyone who buys a house needs to renovate it within three years or lose the deposit of 7 thousand euros (about R$32 million). The evaluation of the houses indicates that, to restore each square meter, 107 dollars (95 euros) are needed. Administrative costs are between 3.573 and 5.760 euros.
Mussomeli sits on a hill two hours southeast of Palermo and has Byzantine caves and a medieval castle, as well as numerous ancient churches.
Some of the houses are very small but others are made up of several rooms. According to the article, the properties also offer stunning views of the Italian countryside.
The historic city, which has countless stone streets, has seen its population of 11 thousand inhabitants decrease over the years. This change began when Italians began to abandon rural areas and move to cities.
According to Mail Online, local architects and engineers are on hand to help with the work, but buyers can choose to get outside help if they prefer. Until sold, the houses remain closed.
This initiative is not the first of its kind. Last year, the town of Ollolai, which is in the mountainous region of Barbagia on the island of Sardinia, also sold 200 abandoned stone and abandoned homes for one euro each.
Without jobs, the city's population has halved in the last three decades, and its current 1.300 inhabitants – most of them childless, middle-aged couples – are leaving the area.
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