Another day has passed and you haven’t bought an old villa in Tuscany yet? Well, you still can. And in fact, small towns in Italy are indeed still paying people to move there.
Radicondoli, a village close to the famous small city of Siena was once home to 3,000 residents, but now under 1,000. people live there. According to CNN, around 100 of the village’s 450 houses are vacant. Like many small Italian villages with the same ailment, Radicondoli is hoping to bring more life back into its narrow streets and sloping countryside hills by offering money to those who will move into these empty homes.
The village launched a program offering people 20,000 euros to move in, plus 6,000 euros for expenses, including heating and transportation. That was in 2023. And this year, they’re offering an even better bargain: covering the first two years’ rent for new tenants who move in now through early 2026.
According to CNN, “There’s a catch, of course. To qualify, new residents must stay for at least 10 years if they buy a home, or four years if they rent.”
Similar programs throughout Italy, like the famous one euro home scheme in which depopulating Italian towns offered old abandoned homes for just one euro to anyone who wanted to move in, have gone viral across the internet.
Radicondoli’s mayor Francesco Guarguaglini told CNN that their offer was different. “We distinguish ourselves from the sale of houses at one euro. Here, our homes have a value.” Vacant homes in the village are available for rent or purchase, and include both Tuscan farmhouses outside the city’s center, and one-bedroom apartments in Radicondoli’s along historic village streets. “Sociality, hospitality, and numerous cultural initiatives are the added value alongside the strategic location of the village,” Guarguaglini said.
These homes range in value from around 50,000 to 100,000 euros. And unlike one euro homes, many of these offerings aren’t in need of dramatic repair, just a few renovations. Guarguaglini tells CNN the initiative is working. “Since we launched the scheme in 2023, we’ve funded 23 property sales and lured some 60 new residents, mostly Italians and a few foreigners, including Belgians.”
But still the village hopes for more success, leaning on its community and culture to attract more new residents. Sounds like a good deal to us.
