Toying with the idea of escaping permanently to sunnier climes? Well the news that an Italian mayor is offering families £7,500 (€9,000) to relocate to his pretty village in the mountains might just seal the deal.
Many hamlets and villages in rural Italy have become ghost towns, as older residents pass away and young professionals head off to the cities to find work.Now, Locana Mayor Giovanni Bruno Mattiet is hoping to reverse the trend by opening his village up to young families who want to live the laidback Italian life.
He told the news site he will pay the new residents up to £7,500 over three years. The only stipulations are having at least one child and a minimum annual income.‘Our population has shrunk from 7,000 in the early 1900s to barely 1,500 as people left looking for a job at Turin’s big factories, Our school each year faces the risk of shutting down due to few pupils. I can’t allow this to happen”
