Italian village offers houses for less than £1 to attract would-be expats

By Holly Kintuka, Reporter

The Italian village is offering homes for 80p (Image: Wikipedia)

It was only recently that Donald Trump won the US presidential elections, and of course, with any sort of election, you have unhappy citizens. Still, this Italian village is hoping to turn that around for those Americans.

In bids to gain some American expats, Ollolai on the island of Sardinia has launched a website following the results of the election, offering houses for as little as €1, which is about 83p.

The Live in Ollolai website reads: “Are you worned (sic) out by global politics? Looking to embrace a more balanced lifestyle while securing new opportunities? It’s time to start building your European escape in the stunning paradise of Sardinia.”

According to CNN, the village’s mayor Francesco Columbu said the website was specifically created to attract Americans following the elections - even though people from the UK can also apply.

“We just really want, and will focus on Americans above all,” Mr Columbu said, adding that Americans are the “best” people to revive Ollolai’s community.

He added: “We can’t of course ban people from other countries people from other countries to apply, but Americans will have a fast-track procedure. We are betting on them to help us revive the village, they are our winning card.”

There are three tiers of accommodation up for grabs. Free temporary accommodation homes for certain digital nomads, one-euro homes that are indeed for renovations and houses that are ready to occupy for up to €100,000 (£83,120).

A special team set up by the mayor will guide any potential buyers throughout the whole process, right from organising private tours of the available properties to finding builders and sorting out any paperwork, CNN reports.

The village is on the Island of Sardinia (Image: Getty)

The mayor also shared that photos and plans of available properties will be uploaded on the Live in Ollolai website.

The town hall’s website has recently received 38,000 requests for information regarding housing with a majority of them from the US.

Mr Columbo said: “Of course, we can’t specifically mention the name of one US president who just got elected, but we all know that he’s the one from whom many Americans want to get away from now and leave the country.”