4 ms·

Where are houses being given away in Italy? I would love to know of the program.

by sgc 8y ago

inerte 8y ago
I upvoted you, expecting that OP might deliver with the relevant article, but decided to do a search of my own and found some stuff. https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=free%20italy%20houses https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=free%20italy%20houses like the first few articles are about free or 1 Euro houses. Seems to be true!
- mettamage 8y ago
  Hmm... I was too lazy to do the Google search, sorry about that. I figured the average HN type would prefer to do a DYOR Google search anyway. I happened to have seen it on a Dutch program (a Dutch couple moved to Italy).
stevenwoo 8y ago
This made the news last year (you have to renovate and make a tourist trap or some economic positive): https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/18/italy-is-giving-away-over-100-castles-for-free--theres-only-one-catch.html https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/18/italy-is-giving-away-over-10... That was an update on an older program that was pretty popular: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/23/world/europe/sicilian-town-tells-outsiders-take-our-homes-please.html https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/23/world/europe/sicilian-tow...
dreamcompiler 8y ago
Rural Italy is beautiful and the food (in the grocery stores and markets) is both great and ridiculously cheap. But there are a few downsides. 100-plus-year-old houses often require significant refurbishment including earthquake mitigation (depending on the area) and they can be expensive to heat unless you spend $$$ on new windows and good seals and insulation. But the biggest problem for a foreigner moving to Italy might be the bureaucracy: Huge stacks of paper forms to be filled out and handed in to a guy who just happens not to be in his office today. Repeatedly. If you have a lot of patience for this sort of thing, Italy is lovely.
- sgc 8y ago
  I lived in Italy for a number of years and would love to move back.
- toyg 8y ago
  Also, if you do a job that is defined in law (doctor, architect, journalist, etc), the bureaucracy might actually stop you from working until you’ve jumped several hoops - exams, payments, years of practice, and so on.
toyg 8y ago
I know of a few places with schemes to incentive people to move to dying towns, in the regions bordering with Northern Appennini mountains and in the deep South. The catch is that these towns are dying for a reason: they are far from everything, there are no local jobs (or rather, no jobs most people would do - being a farmer in 2018 is unappealing), and the housing stock is often crumbling and centuries-old. The kids go to school in cities and never go back, so you’re left with a bunch of oldies. Do not expect any help from the State, but do expect hindrance, especially in building matters - Italian laws on paper are the best in the world, but in practice, compliance is hell.

Where are houses being given away in Italy? I would love to know of the program.

by sgc 8y ago

Where are houses being given away in Italy? I would love to know of the program.

I upvoted you, expecting that OP might deliver with the relevant article, but decided to do a search of my own and found some stuff. https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=free%20italy%20houses https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=free%20italy%20houses like the first few articles are about free or 1 Euro houses. Seems to be true!

mettamage 8y ago
Hmm... I was too lazy to do the Google search, sorry about that. I figured the average HN type would prefer to do a DYOR Google search anyway. I happened to have seen it on a Dutch program (a Dutch couple moved to Italy).

stevenwoo 8y ago

This made the news last year (you have to renovate and make a tourist trap or some economic positive): https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/18/italy-is-giving-away-over-100-castles-for-free--theres-only-one-catch.html https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/18/italy-is-giving-away-over-10... That was an update on an older program that was pretty popular: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/23/world/europe/sicilian-town-tells-outsiders-take-our-homes-please.html https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/23/world/europe/sicilian-tow...

dreamcompiler 8y ago

Rural Italy is beautiful and the food (in the grocery stores and markets) is both great and ridiculously cheap. But there are a few downsides. 100-plus-year-old houses often require significant refurbishment including earthquake mitigation (depending on the area) and they can be expensive to heat unless you spend $$$ on new windows and good seals and insulation. But the biggest problem for a foreigner moving to Italy might be the bureaucracy: Huge stacks of paper forms to be filled out and handed in to a guy who just happens not to be in his office today. Repeatedly. If you have a lot of patience for this sort of thing, Italy is lovely.

sgc 8y ago
I lived in Italy for a number of years and would love to move back.
toyg 8y ago
Also, if you do a job that is defined in law (doctor, architect, journalist, etc), the bureaucracy might actually stop you from working until you’ve jumped several hoops - exams, payments, years of practice, and so on.

toyg 8y ago

I know of a few places with schemes to incentive people to move to dying towns, in the regions bordering with Northern Appennini mountains and in the deep South. The catch is that these towns are dying for a reason: they are far from everything, there are no local jobs (or rather, no jobs most people would do - being a farmer in 2018 is unappealing), and the housing stock is often crumbling and centuries-old. The kids go to school in cities and never go back, so you’re left with a bunch of oldies. Do not expect any help from the State, but do expect hindrance, especially in building matters - Italian laws on paper are the best in the world, but in practice, compliance is hell.