Missed out on copping a $0.20 house in Croatia? You’ll be interested to learn there’s another tasty incentive to pack your bags and flee in the direction of Europe – and in a far more appealing locale, no less (sorry Croatia). If you’ve been dreaming about Italian summers, here’s your chance: the region of Calabria is offering up to €28,000 (AU$44,000) for anyone willing to move from their current address, and call its sleepy beachside towns or mountain villages home.
“We want this to be an experiment of social inclusion,” Gianpietro Coppola, Mayor of Altomonte, tells CNN.
“Draw people to live in the region, enjoy the settings, spruce up unused town locations such as conference halls and convents with high-speed internet. Uncertain tourism and the one euro houses are not the best ways to revamp Italy’s south.”
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If all goes to plan, fresh life will be breathed into this specific region of Southern Italy, and years of population decline will effectively be reversed. At the moment, the area is barely scraping 2,000 inhabitants. Similar to many of these incentives, however, it isn’t just a matter of first come, first served. There are a few requirements on your end.
For one, to receive the cold, hard cash, applicants must not only take up residency, but also start a local venture – i.e. shop, restaurant, farm, etc. – or fulfill a specific professional role the town is seeking. As ageist as it may sound, there’s a hard anti-Boomer policy, meaning this offer is also restricted to applicants 40 years and below (obviously in an effort to attract a younger crowd). And if approved, be prepared to action your big Calabria move within 90 days.
Local authorities are still deciding how they want to distribute the five-figure carrot being dangled. Reports indicate it will either be paid on a monthly basis, ranging from €1,000 to €800 ($1,580 to $1,265) each time across a maximum period of three years, or in a lump sum to really help kickstart those new businesses.
“We’re honing the technical details, the exact monthly amount, and duration of the funds,” says regional councilor Gianluca Gallo.
“And whether to include also slightly larger villages with up to 3,000 residents. We’ve had so far a huge interest from villages and hopefully, if this first scheme works, more are likely to follow in coming years.”
Sold on the idea of a grand exodus to Calabria? Here’s where you could be headed:
- Civita
- Samo & Precacore
- Aieta
- Bova
- Caccuri
- Albidona
- Sant’Agata del Bianco
- Santa Severina
- San Donato di Ninea
