Sleepy Sicily: my stay in the hilltop town of €1 homes

The Times. Victoria Brzezinski. 20 March 2022

Finding an unknown corner in one of our favourite countries is the holy grail for tourists. For locals seeking to attract visitors it’s a different matter. Which is why the hilltop town of Sambuca di Sicilia, a little over an hour’s drive south of Palermo, but far off the radar for most holiday-makers, is trying to whip up some enthusiasm and put itself on the map.

First of all it offered abandoned homes for sale at €1 a pop – the Sopranos actor Lorraine Bracco was among those who took advantage, snapping up a 200-year-old house with no electricity or running water. Now the council has enlisted Airbnb, which has its own newly renovated €1 house in Sambuca.

Last month it ran a dream-job competition: the winner will live rent-free in the house for a year, on the condition they let out the spare bedroom for nine months (they get to keep all of the rental income).

Read more here. 

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