You can buy a house for £1 in this Italian town – which the mayor promises is free of coronavirus

IT'S BEEN a while since we've seen an Italian town selling houses for £1, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic that sent both Italy and most other countries into lockdown.

But they're back, and this time they have an added selling point new for 2020 – the town in question is Covid-free.

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Cinquefrondi, located in the southern region of Calabria, is just 15 minutes away from the beach by car and has houses that need renovating.

Prospective owners will have to stump up €1 (90p) for the property and a further €250 (£224) insurance policy annually until the property has been renovated.

If the buyer doesn't complete their renovations within three years, they could be liable for a €20,000 (£18,000) fine.

Mayor Michele Conia told CNN: "Finding new owners for the many abandoned houses we have is a key part of the Operation Beauty [mission] that I have launched to recover degraded, lost parts of town."

He continued: "Too many people have fled from here over the decades, leaving behind empty houses. We can't succumb to resignation."

"We rise between the refreshing hills and two warm seas, a pristine river runs nearby, and the beaches are just 15 minutes away by car.

"But a whole district of my town lies abandoned, with empty houses that are also unstable and risky."

"We're just asking for some kind of certainty once a new buyer commits to the project."

Earlier this year, Bisaccia, located in the south of the Campania region two hours from Naples, put 90 buildings on the market for 85p.

Mussomeli in southern Sicily was offering homes for just 85p, as long as the buyer renovates the house within a year, while the town of Sambuca was offering them for the same price as long as you spend £13,000 doing it up.

Bivona in Sicily asked buyers to pay just a £2,100 bond to get the 85p house.

Italy has been one of the hardest hit countries in Europe during the coronavirus pandemic, 235,763 cases and 34,114 deaths.

Yesterday, it was reported that the country could be nearing herd immunity as more than half of residents tested in its worst-hit province have coronavirus antibodies.

Bergamo, in the country's northern region, has recorded that 57 per cent of people tested have had some contact with the virus.

Italy has already opened its borders to British tourists and hotels have been open since mid-May along with bars, restaurants and shops while still following social distance guidelines.

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