Fancy a change in 2020? You can buy a house for just €1 in these Italian towns

It might sound too good to be true, but certain Italian towns really are giving away homes for just €1.

However, there is a catch to bagging a home in these Italian towns for pocket change.

Most of the properties in the €1 House scheme are fixer-uppers, so you’d need to be willing to spend more to get them looking their best.

Still, if you don’t mind putting the work in, you could find yourself a lovely property in a sunny location for a fraction of the usual price.

The house scheme was created to revive dwindling populations, as they ‘are becoming deserted, abandoned by the young population and the deaths of the elderly.'

One of the big examples is Sambuca, in Sicily. In 2016, they launched a campaign to sell empty homes for a single euro. At the time, Mayor Leonardo Ciaccio said he received lots of enquires about the properties.

Mayor Ciaccio said he’d heard from artists, dancers and musicians from all over the world after the launch of the campaign. New residents have already arrived, and are fixing up houses and moving in.

If you fancy somewhere closer to Naples, then Zungoli, Campania is a good choice for you. It’s famous for traditional terrace and stone houses, and features churches and old palaces.

Potential buyers must download an application form and specify their renovation plans. They also need to agree to move within the next three years.

Another Sicilian town, Gangi, is also part of the scheme. It’s located in the Palermo province, and is perched on top of Monte Barone.

If you’re looking for a green space, it’s surrounded by greenery and you can see Mount Etna in the background too.

Or if you’d rather live in a different part of Sicily, Cammarata has seen its population dwindle as younger people have moved away for work in bigger cities.

The town is fancy extinction, so Mayor Vincenzo Giambrone is convincing homeowners who’ve left to give their homes to the scheme.

There’s currently around a dozen empty stone houses on the market. If you do move here, you’ll be surrounded by cheese shops, bakeries, markets, pizzerias and wine bars, for an authentic slice of Italy.

Maybe time for a change in 2020? We're certainly tempted...