Italy is giving away more than 100 historic buildings in a bid to boost slow tourism. The kind of buildings up for grabs include castles, houses and towers. The idea is to tempt visitors away from crowded city centres and towards more rural and less popular areas.
You won’t have to pay a penny for the building and there are 103 sites are available across the whole of Italy.
Sound too good to be true? There is a catch. Whoever is to take up the offer will have to commit to restoring and transforming the sites into tourist facilities, such as hotels, restaurants, or spas.
The State Property Agency and Ministry of Cultural Heritage announced the project as part of Italy’s Strategic Tourist Plan, aimed at relieving some of the strain on the overcrowded areas and promoting lesser-explored destinations.
Photo: Wikimedia
In order to have a chance at getting one of the buildings you have to bring forward a clear plan of how you would transform the site in to a tourist facility.
The Italian government has done similar projects before, such as the Lighthouse Project. This project is a major step for increasing tourism and if it is successful a further 200 buildings are expected to be up for grabs.
Successful applicants will get the rights to the property for nine years, with the option to renew the contract for a further nine. Any entrepreneurs with a concrete proposal for turning the sites into a tourist facility may be given a 50-year lease in some cases.
If you’ve always fancied living in Italy and opening up your own hotel, restaurant or spa then this could be your chance.
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