As of: March 26, 2024, 11:55 a.m
By: Nadja Zinsmeister
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In many Italian cities, houses were sold at ridiculous prices to bring life back into the community.
A village near Rome is still looking for buyers.
Patricia - Numerous communities in Italy created a "master plan" years ago: In order to counteract the declining number of residents and widespread house decay, some Italian properties are almost being given away - even to people from abroad.
But while it means salvation for some villages, others cannot get rid of their houses despite the cheap prices and picturesque views.
Italian village Patrica desperately tries to sell its properties – “almost impossible”
This is also the case with the Italian community of Patrica, which is located about 88 kilometers southeast of Rome.
With around 3,000 inhabitants, it is a small medieval town that looks very idyllic on a plateau in the mountains.
But behind the facades, the small village is slowly dying out.
Since the early 1900s, around 40 houses in the community have been abandoned as their owners emigrated to larger cities or abroad in search of better job prospects.
The picturesque town of Patrica is located around 88 kilometers southeast of Italy's capital Rome.
© IMAGO / Pond5 Images
In order to bring more life back to Patrica, the mayor Lucio Fiordaliso actually had a plan.
He would like to offer the houses for one euro - as some other Italian cities have already done successfully - and thus attract new residents.
While the plan has worked in cities such as Mussomeli in Sicily and Zungoli in Campania in recent years, Patrica has so far been unsuccessful.
"We initially listed all the abandoned houses and made an official appeal to the original owners asking them to give up their dilapidated family homes, but we only managed to sell two houses for one euro," Fiordaliso said on Sunday (24). March) to the US broadcaster CNN.
The community has a legal problem.
While local authorities in cities underpopulated due to earthquakes or other natural disasters have the authority to put abandoned houses up for sale without the owners' consent, this is not the case in Patrica and other cities.
Numerous medieval streets run through the village.
© IMAGO / Pond5 Images
The houses may not be sold without the willingness of the owners or heirs.
“Only then can we offer these properties for sale with your consent, which makes the process very complicated,” the mayor explains.
"Almost impossible."
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Inheritance disputes or lost family trees – houses in Italy will probably remain empty forever
According to the mayor, ten owners initially agreed to the “one euro house project” but later withdrew their consent.
The administration never received an answer from the rest.
Fiordaliso suspects that the sudden changes of opinion could be related to family disputes - for example if a relative who also owns shares in the house has a different opinion.
The small Italian community is surrounded by mountains and nature.
© IMAGO / Pond5 Images
“The sale of potential one-euro houses stalled as most of the relatives who shared the same property were at odds with each other due to personal reasons or could not agree on the sale, some hardly spoke to each other or did not know each other, others lived in distant cities or even abroad,” the mayor told CNN.
It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack to find the rightful heirs in some cases.
Mini success in Patrica: Two houses in the Italian town are for sale
Only two houses in Patrica have been sold so far.
In both cases there was only one heir who decided to sell relatively quickly.
But even there problems arose.
A house that is offered for just under one euro usually looks the same.
"We knew that after half a century our parents' house was in ruins, it was completely destroyed, razed to the ground," one of the owners told CNN.
Some interested parties from abroad even came to view the houses, but without success.
Many would consider spending a little more money and buying an apartment in better condition nearby.
In addition, many retirees, for example, imagine a dream retirement in Italy, but initially forget the downsides.
But the village of Patrica doesn't want to lose hope so quickly.
(nz)