For all those who dream of living or buying property in Italy but don’t have a lot of money, we have good news. In 2025, regions from the mountainous Tuscany to the sun-drenched Apulia are offering generous bonuses to those willing to relocate to their picturesque yet depopulating villages. Moreover, some regions are ready to pay candidates up to €30,000 to make the move.

This money can be spent on starting a business in Calabria, Presicce-Acquarica, or Sardinia. However, behind these tempting offers lie conditions that we’ll explore in this article.

Contents:

  1. These Italian Regions Need You
    1. Calabria
    2. Presicce-Acquarica (Apulia)
    3. Sardinia
    4. Tuscany
    5. Molise
    6. Houses for €1 (Case a 1 Euro)
  2. These Regions of Italy Have Already Closed Such Programs
    1. Candela (Apulia)
    2. Bormida (Liguria)
    3. Locana (Piedmont)
    4. Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
  3. What’s All This Italian Stuff For?
  4. What are the Prospects for Such Initiatives?

These Italian Regions Need You

Italy’s legislative system is structured in such a way that it includes both national and regional laws. The former are passed by the Italian Parliament and apply across the entire country, but there are no national laws providing relocation assistance to Italy. All such programs are local initiatives under regional laws or municipal regulations. As a result, they come with different requirements and bonuses:

Calabria

Local authorities offer the “Reddito di Residenza Attiva” (Active Residency Income) program. It provides payments of up to €28,000 to newcomers, not all at once but over three years, amounting to €700—800 per month. The potential resident must move to one of the region’s villages with a population of fewer than 2000 people. 

Key conditions:

  • Age under 40.
  • Relocation within 90 days of application approval.
  • Starting a business or working in a profession in demand within the community.
  • Permanent residence in the chosen municipality, such as Albidona, Santa Severina, or San Donato di Ninea.

Presicce-Acquarica (Apulia)

The municipality pays up to €30,000 (£25,000) for relocating and purchasing an abandoned house. The program also aims to boost birth rates, offering an additional €1000 for each newborn child in the family. 

Key conditions:

  • Purchase of a property from the list of abandoned objects.
  • The property must have been built before 1991.
  • Renovation of the house within 1–3 years (the grant partially covers the costs).
  • Make the house the primary residence upon completion of the renovation.
  • Payment of a deposit (€2000—5000), refundable after the renovation is complete but forfeited if conditions are breached.

Sardinia

Sardinian authorities allocate grants of up to €15,000 for relocation to municipalities with populations under 3000. 

Key conditions:

  • Purchase or renovation of a house in one of the participating villages.
  • Permanent residence (registration as a resident).
  • Funds cover up to 50% of the housing or renovation costs, with the participant covering the rest.

Tuscany

Under the local “Residenzialità in Montagna 2024–2025” program, foreigners can receive grants ranging from €10,000 to €30,000 for moving to mountain towns in Tuscany with populations under 5000, such as Garfagnana or Apennine villages like Abetone. 

Key conditions:

  • Purchase or rental of housing in one of the 119 participating municipalities.
  • Permanent residence (registration as a resident).
  • Funds are intended for purchasing a home or covering part of the relocation and settling-in costs.

Molise

The Molise region pays up to €27,000 (€700—900 per month over three years) for relocating to villages with populations under 2000, such as Fornelli, Pizzone, or Castel del Giudice. 

Key conditions:

  • Living in the region for at least 5 years after relocation.
  • Starting a small business or working in a demanded field (e.g., agriculture).
  • No age restrictions, though preference is given to families.

Houses for €1 (Case a 1 Euro)

This program operates in Sicily, Apulia, and dozens of municipalities across Italy. It allows foreigners to buy an abandoned house for a symbolic price of €1, with the obligation to renovate it. However, there’s a catch: €1 is the starting price at an auction, meaning the final cost is determined during the purchase process. 

Key conditions:

  • Renovation of the house within a period of one to three years, with repair costs ranging from €10,000 to €50,000.
  • Payment of a deposit (€2000—5000), refundable after renovation.
  • The building must fit the overall architectural style.
  • Some municipalities require permanent residence.

These Regions of Italy Have Already Closed Such Programs

Italy began experimenting with programs to attract new residents back in the 2010s, and many such initiatives have since closed. Although these programs are no longer active, they’re worth considering because they laid the groundwork for current projects and revealed what works and what doesn’t:

Candela (Apulia)

In 2017, the small town of Candela offered €800 to €2000 to new residents. The conditions were simple: rent a house, live in the town, and earn at least €7,500 annually (€625 per month). The region’s population grew from 2700 to nearly 2900 over a couple of years, but most newcomers left soon after the payments ended.

Bormida (Liguria)

In 2017, the mayor of Bormida launched a €2000 payment for those who would buy a house in the village while offering renters properties for €12.50 per week. With a population of 400, Bormida’s authorities received over 10,000 applications from around the world. The program had to be hastily shut down due to insufficient funding.

Locana (Piedmont)

For relocating to a mountain village with a population of about 1500, Locana’s authorities offered €9000. The goal was to increase the number of students in the local school to prevent its closure. The program was shut down due to a lack of funding and attracted 20–30 people.

Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)

In 2020–2021, the town’s authorities offered up to €44,000 over three years (about €1200 per month) to young people (18–40) willing to start a business and live there for at least 5 years. By various estimates, the program attracted around 10–15 new residents but ended due to depleted funds. Success was moderate: while some businesses (mostly craft workshops) remained, the demographic decline continued.

Overall, these initiatives demonstrated that financial incentives attract people, but new programs need larger budgets and payments stretched over longer periods.

What’s All This Italian Stuff For?

Generous payouts are not a whim born of excess funds but a fight against very real problems facing the country. The primary issue is a demographic crisis. According to the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), as of 2024, the average age of the population exceeds 47 years, and the birth rate is just 1.24 children per woman.

For a nation to sustain its population, this figure should be above 2, ideally closer to 3. The problem isn’t always fertility; more often, it’s the migration of young people to other countries that’s to blame.

The situation is compounded by urbanization, which is causing villages to die out. For example, in Presicce-Acquarica in 2024, 150 people died, while only 60 children were born. Migration programs serve as a relatively effective tool to attract young people, even if they come from abroad.

According to ISTAT estimates, around 6000 Italian villages with populations under 5000 are at risk of disappearing, and many have already turned into “città fantasma” (ghost towns). People still live there, but most buildings are abandoned, and schools stand empty due to a lack of children. For instance, entire streets are deserted in Sardinia or Molise.

Economically, investing in the restoration of these towns and villages isn’t profitable—large cities and tourist hubs bring far more revenue to the republican budget. However, if the population grows, funds will need to be allocated from the budget to renovate the infrastructure of hospitals and schools. By attracting new residents, local authorities are trying to address both demographic and economic challenges at once.

What are the Prospects for Such Initiatives?

Italian relocation programs are a grand experiment showing mixed results. In Presicce-Acquarica, 50 families moved in over two years, and for the first time in a decade, the birth rate surpassed the death rate. However, in other regions like Molise, most new residents left as soon as the payments stopped.

The authorities are partially satisfied with the outcomes. Regional governments see an influx of people and tax revenue but complain about insufficient funding from Rome. The central government is still evaluating the pilot projects and promises to increase financing if they prove cost-effective.

At the local level, things look more promising. Trentino-Alto Adige and Umbria are already preparing their own versions of these initiatives because demand outstrips supply. Thousands of applications are pouring in from the USA, the UK, and even Japan.

Yet here lies a vicious circle: municipalities attract new people to address demographic issues and push the central government to allocate funds for critical infrastructure upgrades. The central government is willing to provide more money but only if the programs show positive returns and population growth. People are ready to move to Italian villages but want developed infrastructure.

If this cycle isn’t broken, new immigration programs in Italy risk repeating the fate of Bormida or Locana — a loud start followed by a quiet decline. The exact results of this experimental field will only become clear in 5–10 years. For now, Italy’s authorities—at least at the local level — are trying to make a difference.