When Italian towns began offering houses for sale for little more than $1, they inspired legions of dreamers to take a gamble on moving to a remote corner of Italy.
Although spending a few thousand dollars extra on renovating the property was usually part of the deal, it was sweetened by the prospect of a new life in an idyllic spot in a beautiful country.
And then the coronavirus struck, plunging the world into crisis, with Italy among the worst affected countries.
So what happens when you’re quarantined in a crumbling home in a remote village where you barely speak the language and can’t get home to your loved ones? Does life quickly become a nightmare?
Perhaps surprisingly given the hardships that followed, the answer seems to be no.
CNN spoke to a few people who bought some of the Italian homes being offered cheaply by towns wanting to reverse declining population trends.
We found them feeling upbeat and eager to complete their property remodeling and make their Italian dream come true.
Despite the unexpected turn of events, it seems being stuck in Italy hasn’t been such a negative experience after all.
And the virus crisis has made them appreciate even more the beauty of Italy’s rural villages — so much so that some are looking to invest in more cheap properties.
Losing track
Salvatore Catalano, Comune Mussolemi
Miami-based artist Alvaro Solorzano is currently stuck in Mussomeli, a picturesque town in the southern island of Sicily where last year he purchased two cheap properties — one of them costing just one euro, or a little over a dollar.
In March he arrived with his wife, son and son’s girlfriend to start renovating the houses. The other three headed back to Miami and Solorzano was due to follow them a couple of weeks later, but then his flight was canceled.
“I lost track of time. We came here together and I ended up living the quarantine in Mussomeli all by myself, without any furniture just a bed and TV, and nobody to talk to,” he tells CNN. “That was the hardest thing. Had my wife or son been with me, it would have been different.”
Solorzano had been staying in a B&B, but when this closed because of Covid-19 restrictions, he was forced to move into the less dilapidated of his two properties, which was just about habitable.
Since then, he’s been killing time by watching TV, learning Italian, going to the supermarket (“the nicest part of the day”) and talking on the phone with his family. Little by little, he’s been making the most out of the situation by repairing and painting the walls of the house.
“I did little things but it helped me use time, so when my son and his girlfriend come back their home will be ready,” he says. “Luckily the hardware store in town has always been open and I’m so glad we bought two properties and not just the one euro house as it has no water nor electricity.”
Maurizio Di Maria, Comune Mussomeli
Despite an initial hardship, he says his new neighbors helped him throughout the ordeal.
“The first two nights were terrible,” he says. “It was cold, I slept with my jacket on top of my pajamas but then the neighbors were great. I can’t complain. They gave me heaters and even offered blankets, which I had, but I could use their internet.”
“They kept checking in on me, brought me tons of food for Easter which took me three days to eat. I don’t know what I would have done without them.”
Mussomeli, surrounded by honeysuckle and eucalyptus trees, boasts one of Italy’s most breathtaking fortresses, known as the Enchanted Castle, which clings like a spider on a pointed rock.
The fertile green farmland is dotted with old sulfur mines, sanctuaries, Roman necropolises and traces of primitive settlements.
The town’s name means “Hill of Honey” in Latin.
But to Solorzano the sweetest attractions of the place are its welcoming residents.
“They’re wonderful, I know everyone by name,” he says. “There’s Mario, the guy who delivers the bread. I’ve got no words to describe how grateful I am of having them and don’t know how I could ever repay them for all they did.”
Initially tough restrictions have now eased in Italy, allowing him to walk around, but at first it was hard, he admits, as there was nothing to do. “It was terrible, just staying at home, I felt like being in jail sometimes.”
Source: CNN