this post was submitted on 20 Nov 2024
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And Finally...

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[–] [email protected] 74 points 2 months ago (1 children)

If escaping fascism is your goal, Italy is not the best destination.

[–] thesohoriots 13 points 2 months ago

“Let’s pull into this gas station and… oh my.”

[–] [email protected] 63 points 2 months ago (2 children)

This has been a program for awhile now, so I guess it's just being marketed in a new way.

The upside is that you get a free house. The downside is that it's basically an abandoned structure in an isolated village. The repairs will be (generally speaking) beyond the DIY capabilities of most North Americans. Drywall? That's easy. Stone and plaster? Not so much.

Plumbing? FML - I'm going to try to say this nicely, but I've found that most post-war era Italian plumbing can be described as "non-standard," "inventive," or "surprising." Sorpresa, bitches.

The repairs are the initial problem. The lifestyle may be another. These homes are in rural, isolated villages. It may seen charming, but not many amenities nearby. And because most young people have left these villages, you may not be able to communicate with your neighbors. And because you don't understand the local language, customs, and norms, they may actively dislike you.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, I feel like this is one of those “too good to be true” situations. If they can’t find anyone on earth who wants to pay more than $1 for this house, there is probably a strong reason for it.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago

You just need some of that real American spirit! There were no amenities in the frontier either. You build it and they will come.

[–] Horsey 6 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

A 2 hour 175km drive to Cagliari for everything “big-city”… good luck. Not to mention Sardinian Italian is different enough that learning cosmopolitan Italian isn’t enough to communicate with your neighbors and laborers (because you’ll need to hire people for repairs if you’re not already skilled in construction)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

If you're especially unlucky, the neighbors speak Sardinian altogether(you have to learn a full-blown separate language and ~~who knows what variety/dialect~~ oh it's Ollolai so barbaricino) and are super salty about military NATO bases(imagine how happy will they be with an American next door)

[–] PineRune 22 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Imagine a rural Italian village filled with American Trailer-Trash, yelling at each other and starting fights with each new day.

[–] [email protected] 64 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I don't think those are the people trying to move to Italy after Trump won.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I hope so. AFAIK Sardinian villagers aren't exactly welcoming of outsiders, especially Italian "mainlanders". Americans better play it nice and chill if they don't wanna risk a Pattada-knife-fight.

[–] constnt 21 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The article says they are specifically calling for Americans with digital nomad visas. They are creating a village of influencers.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 2 months ago

They are creating a village of influencers.

That's pretty much the same thing, only with more makeup.

[–] Concave1142 18 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I saw a video on YouTube about this thing couple of months ago. Sure the house is $1, but it will need tens of thousands of dollars in repair sometimes.

[–] subtext 9 points 2 months ago

Yeah this has been going on for years. The headline makes it sound like this is a new thing in the past month.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Tens of thousands is pretty damned cheap for a house though.

[–] Concave1142 5 points 2 months ago

Very valid point and I'll not argue with you on that. Consider my statement more of a buyer beware.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago

We are betting on them to help us revive the village, they are our winning card."

Aye history has long proven that when Americans invade your country, you're pretty much guaranteed a win lol

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago

Shame the 'Explore properties' button on the website is 'coming soon'

[–] perviouslyiner 7 points 2 months ago

"Are you worned (sic)" - kerning strikes again - guessing this was OCR of a printed page?

[–] [email protected] -1 points 2 months ago

Because Italy is so much better /s

[–] [email protected] -3 points 2 months ago

fake news... again