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(CNN) - When Italian villages started selling houses for a dollar, it seemed too good to be true. But Italy's latest offer is enough to make even that agreement seem like a scam.
LOOK: This Italian town sells houses for a dollar to attract new residents
The Molise region, a wild, beautiful but ignored area east of Rome, has announced that it will pay people more than $ 27,000 to settle in one of the 106 unpopulated villages in an effort to prevent their communities from dying. Anyone who accepts the offer will receive 700 euros per month (around $ 770) for up to three years to help them settle in an area known for its green pastures, olive groves and snowy mountains.
There is a catch: they will also have to commit to starting a small business to contribute to the local economy.
"I want my region to experience a renaissance and prevent its authentic peoples from becoming ghost towns," Antonio Tedeschi, a regional councilor who came up with the idea, told CNN Travel. "We need to safeguard our roots."
Young people and couples with children are especially encouraged to run for the plan, which will be officially launched on September 16.
READ: PHOTOS | The Italian town that sells houses for a dollar
Tedeschi, who was born in the small town of Filignano in Molise, home to just 700 residents, says he knows what it means to see old traditions and historical places fall into oblivion and wants to stop the decline in his path.
Depopulation Crisis
"The goal is to give new life and renew the local economy," he says. "Newcomers are free to launch anything they want to get our financial support: a small inn, restaurant, bar, B&B, a small rural farm, an artisan boutique, a library or store that sells local gourmet delicacies."
Thousands of people have left Molise in recent years. Official statistics say that the number of people living there has decreased by almost 9,000 since 2014, which brings the population of the region to only 305,000.
Now one of the most unpopulated regions of Italy, 106 of its 136 cities have fewer than 2,000 residents.
Many communities across Italy run the risk of being lost as young people migrate to larger towns and cities, or abroad, in search of work while Italy's fragile economy struggles to support its most remote rural areas.
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Recently, there have been a number of villages from the northern Alps to the vineyards of southern Sicily, virtually giving away houses to anyone willing to spend the money on renovating them to move.
Molise's offer has the potential to be the most lucrative yet for anyone willing to take the plunge.
So what can applicants expect if they launch? Here is a look at some of the most picturesque villages among which invite people to move.
Nominated for the contest of the most beautiful city in Italy in 2019, Fornelli has a medieval center that was once protected by a drawbridge and is now a network of narrow alleys and arched entrances.
Fornelli
Fornelli is known as the City of Petroleum because of the olive groves that dot a landscape that also houses premium truffles and endangered legume species.
Nominated for the contest of the most beautiful city in Italy in 2019, it has a medieval center that was once protected by a drawbridge and is now a network of narrow alleys and arched entrances.
Seven towers are incorporated into the defensive walls of the city, within which cars and even motorcycles are prohibited, so it is peaceful and unpolluted.
The Italian region of Molise, which is located east of Rome, says it is willing to pay people to move there, hoping to reverse a decline in rural populations.
Pesche
Clinging to the rocky cliff of Monte San Marco, this town takes its name from the Italian word "pietre", which means "rocks."
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The yellowish-white stone dwellings at the foot of a majestic castle contrast with the green-brown stones covered with lush vegetation that cover the landscape.
The isolation has preserved the people from centuries of barbaric incursions and the doors of houses and aristocratic buildings are adorned with strange images of stone.
Hailed as one of the "authentic villages" of Italy, Riccia, one of the unpopulated cities, organizes an annual grape festival that celebrates the end of the harvest or harvest.
Riccia
One of the best moments of the year in Riccia is a picturesque grape festival that celebrates the end of the vendemmia or the harvest and attracts wine lovers from all over Italy.
In the event, floats decorated with grapes that parade through the cobbled streets are seen while the actors distribute gourmet treats.
Riccia, grouped at the foot of a cylindrical tower, is part of an elite club that unites the "authentic villages" of Italy, where ancient traditions and recipes survive.
Molise premium amaro liquor is made with special herbs found in nearby forests.
Molise has been blessed with snow-capped mountains that, around towns like Campitello Matese, provide a haven for winter sports enthusiasts.
Capracotta and Campitello Matese
These villages are for ski lovers.
One of the attractions of Molise, the second smallest region in Italy, is that it has everything in one place: sea, lakes, forests and even the Apennine mountain range.
Capracotta and Campitello Matese are the best winter sports resorts in the region, attracting snowboarders and cross country fans.
The ski slopes are not as long or steep as those found in the Alps, but there is the additional attraction of the thick forests where wild animals, including bears, still live.
The archaeological area of Pietrabbondante, near the city and located at an altitude of 1,000 meters, has a fascinating view over the rugged hills of Molise and has a sanctuary and several temples.
Pietrabbondante and Sepino
It is hard to believe, but Molise rivals Rome or Pompeii for ancient architecture and archeological attractions.
The two small villages of Pietrabbondante and Sepino contain the secret ruins, largely unknown of citadels that were once glorious.
A large part of Molise used to be in the realm of the fiery Samnite tribes who refused to bend the knee to ancient Rome, but were eventually killed.
The archaeological area of Pietrabbondante, near the city and located at an altitude of 1,000 meters, has a fascinating view over the rugged hills of Molise and has a sanctuary and several temples.
Saepinum, or the ruins of Sepino, are incredibly well preserved with imprisoned barbarian statues that greet visitors at the entrance.
Located near one of Molise's main routes used by shepherds to move their cattle between low and tall pastures, San Giovanni in Galdo is a maze of caves and underground chambers.
San Giovanni in Galdo
Grazing sheep, cows and buffalo dot the bucolic landscape here.
It is still possible to detect dusty forgotten trails that wind through the mountains and the ruins of a majestic temple in italics built in the 3rd century BC. C.
San Giovanni in Galdo is located near one of the main routes of Molise used by the shepherds to move their cattle between low and high pastures.
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The old town, called Morrutto or "broken walls" in the local dialect, is a maze of caves and underground chambers.
The ancient festivals survive, such as the performances of the folk group Zig-zaghini, which represents something known as the “anti-jinx dance”.
Located in the Upper Volturno Valley, this area of Molise is known as the Valley of Faith, because monks and pilgrims have come here for centuries to meditate and pray.
Castel San Vincenzo
The crystal clear waters of its blue lake make Castel San Vincenzo one of the most visited cities in Molise by hikers.
Located in the Upper Volturno Valley, it is known as the Valley of Faith, because monks and pilgrims, for centuries, have come here to meditate and pray.
Today, the nearby abbey of San Vincenzo Al Volturno attracts travelers seeking the soul who long for a disconnected stay and artists who need inspiration.
Duronia, dating from the pre-Roman era, is a collection of pastel-colored peasant houses connected by stairs and located at the foot of an outstanding fortress.
Duronia
The town, dating from the pre-Roman era, is a collection of pastel-colored peasant houses connected by stairs and located at the foot of an outstanding fortress.
The symbol of the city is a large stone cross. Its Belvedere square offers a unique panorama of the surrounding meadows dotted with the ruins of the Samnite towers.
Duronia is popular for guided hiking trips along rural routes.
The Scattone gastronomic festival celebrates an iconic pasta dish made with red wine and pepper that is said to offer strength and protect against the flu.
Cities Depopulation Immigration