More often than not, when one dares to dream, the path to fulfillment is never easy. It certainly isn’t packed with wine, cheese, and a picturesque, quaint Italian town to call home. If you always dreamt of a new adventure and a new life away from chaos, the opportunity to live in beautiful Italian villages has arisen. Calabria in southern Italy is offering up to $33,000 to people willing to move to some of its most rural villages to reverse population decline in the region. The villages are scarcely populated, with a population of less than 2,000. The change in your permanent address will be accompanied by a monthly income from the local government. They will only do so on the condition that the new residents will either start up their own business or take up a local profession.
Gianpietro Coppola, the mayor of one of the towns involved in the scheme, states, “We want this to be an experiment of social inclusion. Draw people to live in the region, enjoy the settings, and spruce up unused town locations such as conference halls and convents with high-speed internet. Uncertain tourism and the one euro houses are not the best ways to revamp Italy’s south.” Some rules come with this comfortable life that brings ample sea air, mountain views, and green countryside. All applicants must be under 40 and willing to relocate within 90 days of being accepted into the scheme.
Applicants could receive funding from $950-$1200 a month for two to three years, or a one-time grant to help launch a new business or activity-including a Bed and Breakfast, a restaurant, a bar, a rural farm, or a store. So far, more than $832,000 has been earmarked for use in the ‘active residency scheme.’ The towns currently involved in the promotion to get people moving there are Aieta, Albidonia, Bova, Caccuri, Civita, Samo and Precacore, Sant’Agata del Bianco, San Donato di Ninea and Santa Severina.
[Via – IB Times]
