Daily Mail. Robert Hardman. 23 February 2022
The plan to revitalise dormant pockets of rural Italy by selling ancient housing for pennies raised eyebrows… but the results are astonishing.
The lower ground floor looks like a bomb has gone off but the staircase seems firm. Going up floor by floor, I am told not to stray too close to the centre of each room for fear I might fall through.
In the little kitchen on the top floor, I find an old pot on an old stove. A faded photo of a child in an Edwardian sailor suit hangs on a wall, as does a yellowing calendar which suggests the last time anyone actually lived here: 1973.
Crucially, however, the roof seems to be in one piece as there is no indication of intruding rainwater.
There is no electricity and all plumbing was disconnected years ago.
Finally, we wrench open the door leading out on to the second-floor balcony and I immediately see the appeal of this place. In one direction you overlook an ancient bell tower and rooftops stretching out towards the Sicilian countryside. In the other, you look up a steep cobbled street that has not changed one jot in more than a century.
What this place lacks in basic amenities, it makes up for in that essential feature in any home: charm.
