You can now add Presicce, in the “heel” of Italy’s “boot,” to the list of Italian towns trying to lure new residents by offering sweet deals on older houses.
Authorities in Presicce, which is in the Apulia region and is about 100 miles from Taranto, are preparing plans to offer up to €30,000 (about $30,000) to buy an abandoned house and move in. Why €30,000? That’s because the houses that are about to be listed will be priced at around €25,000.
As is the case with other towns in Italy that have offered similar deals or even offered houses for €1, the plan is intended to boost Presicce’s declining population.
“There are many empty homes in the historical center built before 1991, which we would like to see alive again with new residents,” local councilor Alfredo Palese said, according to CNN. “It is a pity witnessing our old districts full of history, wonderful architecture, and art slowly empty.”
Palese went on to explain that the funding will be used in installments. The first installment can be used by a home buyer to buy an old house. Then, if needed, the second installment will be used to remodel the home.
What You Need To Know About Presicce
The origins of Presicce date back to the Middle Ages when settlements began to be built around a nearby fortress. Monks also dug crypts and underground olive mills that were used for shelter by people who had survived pirate raids, CNN explained.
The area then gained fame for its olive groves that provided olives used to make extra virgin olive oil, as well as fine wine, cheese, and cattle.
Interestingly, a network of underground chambers and olive mills can still be accessed through numerous historical buildings. Indeed, guided tours through the underground network are a highlight for tourists.
The town’s old district is also known for its wide streets crisscrossed by narrow alleys.
Outside Presicce, visitors will see dome-shaped stone chapels, ancient olive groves, and farms where peasants once lived for safety to avoid pirate attacks. There are also trekking and biking routes throughout the countryside, and, of course, the coast is also nearby.
How To Buy A House In Presicce
Palese told CNN a merger in 2019 with an adjacent community created a larger town now known as Presicce-Acquarica. Although Presicce and Acquarica together have a population of approximately 9,000 people, only about half of them live in the older district.
Importantly, the merger also brought in more money for Presicce to use as an incentive for people to move there.
“After the merger, as per Italian law, our wider territory will be blessed with more public funds, roughly €1,000,000 per year for several years forward, which we intend to invest to revitalize the old district,” Palese said.
To qualify as a home buyer under the €30,000 incentive, buyers must become residents of Presicce and purchase one of the homes selected by authorities that were built before 1991. The good news, however, is that €25,000 should adequately cover the cost of those homes, Palese explained.
All of the details for the incentive aren’t ironed out yet, but Palese believes applications will be available on the town hall website in a few weeks.
You can watch for those updates on the Presicce town hall website here.
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