A tiny town in the toe of Italy's boot wants new residents — and it'll only cost you €1 located in the southern region of Calabria is selling homes as the country begins to emerge from lockdown The town calls itself a "COVID-free village," as the community has reported zero cases of the coronavirus Mayor Michele Conia calls it "Operation Beauty."  It's offering these homes at such a cheap price in an attempt to increase the town's population Young people have a tendency to relocate to bigger cities in search of jobs so Cinquefrondi wants to welcome new residents to the village "Finding new owners for the many abandoned houses we have is a key part of the Operation Beauty [mission] that I have launched to recover degraded There are currently about 12 homes available and about 50 more empty dwellings that could potentially end up on the market "If we receive a huge demand, I can expropriate all other buildings which have been empty for decades and the old owners are nowhere to be found," Conia told CNN This deal works differently than some previous $1 housing deals across Italy Other towns have required homeowners to place a down payment when purchasing their home If they fail to renovate it in three years The only requirement for the deal in Cinquefrondi is that the homeowners pay an annual policy insurance fee of €250 ($284) until work and renovations are completed They are liable for a fine of €20,000 (about $22,754) if they don't complete the styling in three years most homeowners complete their work ahead of time An Insider reporter previously visited $1 homes in Italy where he discovered that the homes often need massive renovations the homes in Cinquefrondi are smaller in size ranging from 323 square feet to 430 square feet Interested buyers can email protocollo@pec.comune.cinquefrondi.rc.it to discover more about the homes Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon The best of Time Out straight to your inbox We help you navigate a myriad of possibilities Sign up for our newsletter for the best of the city By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news Sign up for our email to enjoy your city without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re feeling flush) By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. Worldwide Are you so fed up of your own flat that you’d move.. we wouldn’t be entirely surprised.  If 2020 has left you ready for a big life change, Italy wants to hear from you Specifically, a town in southern Italy which is selling a bunch of homes for the price of just €1.  Cinquefrondi is a small community in the southern region of Calabria which is right at the toe of Italy’s ‘boot’ it's surrounded by the Aspromonte National Park and set between the Ionian and Tyrrhenian coasts (That’s around a 15 minute drive to dreamy Italian beaches in either direction Following in the footsteps of Italian towns that have offered similarly cheap housing to new arrivals in the past the mayor of Cinquefrondi is keen to fill the community’s abandoned buildings with newcomers keen to start a new life – and do up the dilapidated houses in the process.  ‘Finding new owners for the many abandoned houses we have is a key part of the Operation Beauty [mission] that I have launched to recover degraded, lost parts of town,’ Mayor Michele Conia told CNN adding: ‘Too many people have fled from here over the decades Despite the town’s appealing location, near Naples, the Amalfi coast and Sicily ‘A whole district of my town lies abandoned with empty houses that are also unstable and risky,’ says Conia.  This district is the historic part of Cinquefrondi full of small homes Conia describes as ‘cosy tiny’ that are on offer to anyone for one euro The only catch? New owners will be fined €20,000 if they do not make the house liveable again within three years Currently around a dozen houses are for sale but Conia says there are more than 50 he could sell if there is demand for it. Sounds like a molto bene deal to us.  Find out more about the homes and get in touch here.  Daydreaming about Italy? This new hiking route will take you through all the country’s national parks.  Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! tiktokfacebooktwitteryoutubeAbout us Contact us I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice An Italian village touting itself as “Covid-free” is selling homes for just €1 Cinquefrondi, in the southern region of Calabria reported zero cases of coronavirus during the pandemic and is situated in an area with a low contagion rate Like many other rural Italian towns and villages Cinquefrondi is battling to bulk up its dwindling population after losing many of its young people to cities The €1 home scheme has been code-named “Operation Beauty” by the local mayor He told CNN Travel: “Finding new owners for the many abandoned houses we have is a key part of the Operation Beauty that I have launched to recover degraded, lost parts of town. “I grew up in Germany where my parents had migrated, then I came back to save my land. Too many people have fled from here over the decades, leaving behind empty houses. We can’t succumb to resignation.” As with similar schemes, Operation Beauty comes with a few strings attached – though not as many as in some places. Those wishing to buy a house for €1 will also have to stump up €10,000 to €20,000 to refurbish the property, alongside an annual €250 policy insurance fee until the work is completed. Speed is also encouraged, as buyers can be fined €20,000 if they don’t finish the renovations within three years. Most participants in the scheme elsewhere have seen houses restyled in one to two years. The homes themselves are located in the ancient part of Cinquefrondi, and are around 40-50sqm in size. Some also have small balconies. It may sound idyllic, but the €1 homes lie within an abandoned district where the buildings are left empty and are “unstable and risky“, according to Conia. However, for those brave enough to take the plunge, the rewards could be great. ”We rise between the refreshing hills and two warm seas, a pristine river runs nearby and the beaches are just 15 minutes away by car,” he says of the village. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Hayley SkirkaJune 11 Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights Covering everything from luxury homes to housing trends around the world.Follow AuthorJul 23 10:09am EDTShareSaveThis article is more than 4 years old.Cinquefrondi The historic town of Cinquefrondi in the southern part of Italy has seen a decrease in its population as young people move to the cities and don’t return once they start their own families This has left a growing number homes unoccupied and slowly falling into disrepair Before they become completely unlivable the town has decided to take action and entice foreign buyers by offering up the apartment-sized flats for one euro or approximately $1.16 using today’s exchange rate The homes need some upgrades and maintenance work—but nothing too onerous—which is part of the reason the price is so low The requirements are much more relaxed than other situations with similar deals In this case the only requirement is that you complete the upgrades within three years and pay an annual €250 policy insurance fee until the work is complete If you don’t complete the work within three years you could be liable for a €20,000 fine Many of the other cities offering this type of deal require you put down thousands of dollars for a deposit that you only get back in if you have completed the renovations in the designated timeframe But for Cinquefrondi there’s no deposit required outside of one euro and the annual insurance policy Italy has mature forests mixed with modern roads and developments "Finding new owners for the many abandoned houses we have is a key part of the Operation Beauty that I have launched to recover degraded lost parts of town.” He estimates the renovations to the homes will cost between €10,000 to €20,000 Cinquefrondi (”five villages”) was once the site of both Byzantine and Greek settlements with a few remnants of iconic Greek architecture still peppered around the town The hilltop location includes the Aspromonte National Park and views of the Ionian and Tyrrhenian coasts With olive groves and winding streets the town still has a historic feel but recent upgrades to its infrastructure mean it has the accessibility of a modern-day city The beach is about fifteen minutes drive away '+n.escapeExpression("function"==typeof(o=null!=(o=r(e,"eyebrowText")||(null!=l?r(l,"eyebrowText"):l))?o:n.hooks.helperMissing)?o.call(null!=l?l:n.nullContext||{},{name:"eyebrowText",hash:{},data:t,loc:{start:{line:28,column:63},end:{line:28,column:78}}}):o)+" \n '+(null!=(o=c(e,"if").call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2PreText"):l,{name:"if",hash:{},fn:n.program(32,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:63,column:20},end:{line:63,column:61}}}))?o:"")+"\n"+(null!=(o=(c(e,"ifAll")||l&&c(l,"ifAll")||n.hooks.helperMissing).call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Text"):l,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Link"):l,{name:"ifAll",hash:{},fn:n.program(34,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:64,column:20},end:{line:70,column:30}}}))?o:"")+" As countries start to reopen their borders and travel begins to resume in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic yet another Italian town is selling homes for just €1 claims to be “COVID-free” and is welcoming buyers from around .. from 46th in 2024 to 49th place in 2025 in the Press Freedom Index drawn up every year by Reporters Sans Frontières (Reporters Without Borders - RSF) Researcher and lecturer Flavia Marcello explores the fascist influence on the architecture of Rome the race for the fourth Champions League qualifying spot from Italy’s Serie A has become even tighter Napoli didn’t allow flares and delays to affect their performance as Antonio Conte’s side ground out a 1-0 win at Lecce to take firm control of Serie A in Italy Fiorentina have lost the first leg of their UEFA Conference League semifinal tie 2-1 away to Real Betis Inter Milan’s Serie A title defence is on the line with the busy champions chasing a fresher Napoli side who have the finishing line in sight Carlo Ancelotti has turned down the Brazil job and is mulling a mega offer to coach Saudi Arabia Spanish sports daily ‘Marca’ said Wednesday British director Ken Loach has blasted plans to tear down much of Milan’s iconic San Siro stadium to make room for a new home for Inter and AC Milan Barcelona and Inter Milan have delivered a thrilling 3-3 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final One of the pillars of Italian culture is the union between music and wine Nicholas ‘Nick’ Renfree-Marks is somewhat of an expert on both IT'S BEEN a while since we've seen an Italian town selling houses for £1 thanks to the coronavirus pandemic that sent both Italy and most other countries into lockdown and this time they have an added selling point new for 2020 - the town in question is Covid-free ⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates is just 15 minutes away from the beach by car and has houses that need renovating the community hasn't had any reported cases of coronavirus either Prospective owners will have to stump up €1 (90p) for the property and a further €250 (£224) insurance policy annually until the property has been renovated If the buyer doesn't complete their renovations within three years they could be liable for a €20,000 (£18,000) fine Mayor Michele Conia told CNN: "Finding new owners for the many abandoned houses we have is a key part of the Operation Beauty [mission] that I have launched to recover degraded He continued: "Too many people have fled from here over the decades We can't succumb to resignation." "We rise between the refreshing hills and two warm seas and the beaches are just 15 minutes away by car "But a whole district of my town lies abandoned with empty houses that are also unstable and risky." "We're just asking for some kind of certainty once a new buyer commits to the project." Earlier this year, Bisaccia, located in the south of the Campania region two hours from Naples, put 90 buildings on the market for 85p. Mussomeli in southern Sicily was offering homes for just 85p, as long as the buyer renovates the house within a year, while the town of Sambuca was offering them for the same price as long as you spend £13,000 doing it up Bivona in Sicily asked buyers to pay just a £2,100 bond to get the 85p house. Italy has been one of the hardest hit countries in Europe during the coronavirus pandemic, with 235,763 cases and 34,114 deaths. has recorded that 57 per cent of people tested have had some contact with the virus Italy has already opened its borders to British tourists and hotels have been open since mid-May along with bars restaurants and shops while still following social distance guidelines Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/