This week Italy has been emerging timidly from lockdown. The country has opened its borders to tourists and eased restrictions allowing travel.

As one of the places that were initially hardest hit by the coronavirus, Italy is looking ahead to what will hopefully be better days.


And in Cinquefrondi, a municipality in the south that has been deemed COVID-19-free, the mayor is trying to get things off on the right foot by putting several of the region’s abandoned properties on the market for merely €1.

More than a dozen properties are for sale in the municipality, which is part of Italy’s Aspromonte National Park. The initiative is designed to repopulate the town after many years when younger residents have emigrated to bigger cities.

In addition to the initial €1 payment, investors will also need to pay a deposit of €250. This is to guarantee that renovations on the properties, all of which are in varying states of disrepair, will be carried out over the next three years.