We can speak of a peaceful invasion that the villages of Castiglione di Sicilia, Aragon, Mussomeli, Sambuca, Montalbano Elicona Linguaglossa and Polizzi Generosa. Thanks to agreements already signed, two thousand new British residents should arrive for a turnover of 50 million of renovations alone.
Its for Sicily project
The credit goes to the investment fund Its for Sicily which invests in the companies of Italians abroad. Thanks to the income in intermediation, they aim to regenerate the most remote and fascinating centers of Sicilia. There are hundreds of people interested in arriving in the region. There are 900 homes in thirty villages that will bring 2 new residents. The fund was created by Sebastiano Missineo and Matteo Cerri who spoke to La Repubblica about their idea: "The idea was born while chatting with Matteo, who has lived in London for many years - says Missineo - He told me that some English had asked him for information about Mussomeli, fascinated by this village suspended in time».
The goals
From that chat, the project was born to build a sustainable, circular and well-liked path by the mayors to recover abandoned houses and repopulate the towns. Its for Sicily enters into an agreement with the municipalities concerned. These indicate the homes to be sold and the services to be improved such as lighting, network or security. In exchange, the company attracts foreigners by telling about the village, promoting the landscapes to an international audience and trying to attract them. An investment of over 50 million euros is estimated for the renovations.
«With the participating Municipalities we are also creating meetings with professionals, companies, local service companies who now give us a hand to select the properties and tomorrow to renovate them.»Explains Missineo. This way you buy a house at great prices and you get it tax exemptions up to 90%. An incentive for those who, because of the Brexit, wants to have a base in Europe. There are many centers that have come forward. Officially the agreements have been signed with Castiglione di Sicilia, Aragona, Mussomeli, Sambuca di Sicilia, Montalbano Elicona, Linguaglossa and Polizzi Generosa.
British and Asians ready to repopulate Sicily
Musselburgh, village of Nisseno, attracted investors of 18 different nationalities. All thanks to the one-euro houses project with requests from China, Germany, Belgium and Russia. The mayor of the village also pointed out that there are many requests from the British and Asians. The arrival of foreigners allowed the sale of 170 houses out of 400 available, setting the handicraft sector in motion. Its Sicily aims to encourage the birth of clubs, shops and young people's societies. Not hit and run tourism but a real revolutionary way to rediscover the villages. In addition to Sicily, there are projects also launched in Liguria and Sardinia with over two thousand requests from all over the world.
Featured photo source Pcastiglione99, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
