Insider tip for Sicily fans: In the "most beautiful village in Italy" you can get stylish houses for very little money.
However, there is a catch.
Ever heard of Sambuca?
Of course: a full-bodied liqueur from Italy.
But anyone who is familiar with the southern European country also knows that there are several places with the same name.
One, for example, is quite popular among travelers to Tuscany.
Another Sambuca, on the other hand, is only slowly developing from an insider tip to a sought-after destination.
Namely a town in Sicily, about 50 minutes by car from Palermo Airport and 20 from the nearest beach.
For years, the community with 5,500 inhabitants slumbered undiscovered, many younger people left the village, jobs disappeared as well as a lively community life: A spiral into decay.
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Gently embedded in hills: Sambuca in Sicily.
© Frank Bienewald/Imago
Holiday home in Sicily: houses on the Italian island of Sambuca are available from two euros
It didn't help much at first that the hilly community was voted "Italy's most beautiful village" by the Rai 3 broadcaster in 2016.
But the turning point came in 2019: An American woman discovered the auction of a house there by chance on the Internet.
Since her grandfather came from Sambuca, the 43-year-old from Chicago spontaneously offered 5,555 euros, just for fun – and got the bid.
The time before the euro: Who still knows these currencies?
The time before the euro: Who still knows these currencies?
Only then did the financial advisor travel to the village whose name supposedly goes back to Sambuca Zabut, an Arab emir who had a castle built here in 830.
Meredith Tabbone also bought the neighboring house, renovated the 250 square meters in total, and has been sharing her Italian passion on Instagram ever since:
Check out this post on Instagram
A post shared by Meredith Tabbone (@meredith_tabbone)
Not least thanks to this new citizen, Sambuca suddenly gained international attention.
More foreigners, including Germans, started shopping and opened shops, cafés and restaurants, where the typical fried rice balls are served: the spiral has been turning in the other direction since then.
Holiday home in Sicily: highest bids under 10,000 euros - renovation extra
The special highlight: Despite the newly discovered love for the now prosperous little town, the real estate prices are still amazingly moderate.
There are always several properties up for auction on the municipality's website, which Italians sell off because of the high second home tax, for example.
The minimum bids are usually a ridiculous two euros, the highest bids are often far below 10,000 euros.
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However, it will only become clear later whether this is really a bargain.
In most cases, the houses are in need of renovation.
In any case, buyers have to calculate a six-digit sum for this, but they usually get there with 100,000 to 150,000.
New citizen Tabbone has so far invested 165,000 euros in her Sicilian dream.
List of rubrics: © Frank Bienewald/Imago
