CNN. Julia Buckley. May 25, 2021
(CNN) — In 2019, the Sicilian town of Cammarata made headlines around the world with its daring bid for new residents.
Everyone’s heard of Italy’s €1 house schemes, of course. But how about a town giving away houses for free? Cammarata promised to waive the standard symbolic fee for those wanting to start a new life there.
There was just one problem. So many people applied for the scheme that the town authorities were overwhelmed. Without staff dedicated to the project, the project stalled — and then Covid hit. Not a single house was given away.
But as the pandemic progressed, something else started happening. Cammarata’s younger generation started returning home.
