Picturesque villages in Italy are ready to pay up to $ 33 thousand to move there

Have you ever dreamed of opening a craft shop and settling permanently in an idyllic village in southern Italy, where it is warm almost all year round, and get paid for it. Now your dreams can come true. Which Italian towns offer money for moving there, the newspaper said CNN.

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The Calabria region plans to offer up to € 28 ($ 000) over a maximum of three years to people looking to relocate to villages of just 33 in the hope of reversing years of population decline.

However, this money is not for nothing. To receive funds, new residents must commit to running a business—either starting from scratch or accepting existing offers from specific professionals the city is looking for.

There are other tricks as well.

Applicants must obtain a residence permit and be under the age of 40. They should be ready to move to Calabria within 90 days of their application.

It is hoped that this offer will attract active young people and millennials looking to work.

Gianluca Gallo, regional councilor, says that monthly income can be 8000-100 euros over two to three years. An alternative could be one-off funding to support the start-up of a new business activity - be it a hotel, restaurant, bar, farm or shop.

“We are honing in on the technical details, the exact monthly amount and duration of funding, and whether larger villages of up to 3000 people should be included, among other things,” he said. “We have had huge interest from villages so far and hopefully if this first scheme works there will likely be more to follow in the coming years.”

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The project, dubbed Active Living Income, aims to enhance the attractiveness of Calabria as a place to work and live, explains Gianpietro Coppola, Mayor of Altomonte, who contributed to the program.

He says this is a more targeted approach to revitalizing small communities than the recently talked about one-euro sell-off.

“We want this to be an experiment in social inclusion. Attract people to live in the region, enjoy the environment, decorate unused places in cities,” Coppola urges.

The Active Living Income project and application process are expected to go online in the next few weeks. The region has been working on this for months and has already allocated more than 700 euros for the project.

In recent years, in the Molise region and the city of Candela in Puglia, similar schemes have been used as an alternative to selling dilapidated houses for espresso prices.

More than 75% of the cities in Calabria (that's about 320) currently have less than 5000 inhabitants. And this raises concerns that some settlements may become completely extinct in a few years.

“The goal is to boost the local economy and breathe new life into small communities,” Gallo adds. “We want to match the demand for jobs with the supply, so we asked the villages to tell us what skills they lack so that specific workers can be attracted.”

We offer a list of the most picturesque places in which you could live.

Civita

Even Italians may feel a little lost here at first. Locals speak a strange Slavic dialect called arberes.

The community was founded in the 1400s by Albanians who fled the Turkish Empire.

Perched on a rocky cliff in the wild Pollino National Park, once inhabited by bandits and criminals, this tiny village has a population of just 1000.

The old houses are connected by narrow circular alleys called "wrinkles" and have fearsome chimneys believed to contain evil.

Samo and Prechakore

You will enjoy living in two ancient villages at the same time. It was itself founded by the ancient Greeks who sought refuge in the hills, but not too far from the coast. Thus, they turned the village into their quiet haven.

Time seems to have stopped here.

In the morning, the smell of freshly baked bread and fresh cheese wafts over the village as the women leave their low stone peasant houses and carry baskets of food on their heads like in the old days.

The best part of Samo is the ghost sister village of Prechakore, perched just opposite the valley. From Samo's main square, a small winding road leads into the abandoned area.

The locals fled after a series of earthquakes, but today the town has been resurrected and revived.

Travelers, tourists and descendants of former families flock here to admire the Greco-Byzantine ruins.

Aeta

Based on the ashes of a Greek settlement, the village is close to the cozy beaches of Maratea and Praia a Mare.

It is tiny, but elegant. Residential buildings with red tiled roofs are grouped at the foot of a majestic fortress with a panoramic loggia overlooking Tuscany.

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Eagles and wolves live in the forest. Hiking trails lead to the nearby villages of Papasidero, Laino Borgo and Laino Castello.

Bova

Legends say that the Armenian queen built this village on a hill where cows grazed - hence the name, which echoes the Italian word for cattle (bue).

Known as the "natural balcony" of the region due to its mesmerizing coastal scenery, it sits right on the tip of the so-called Italian boot just outside Sicily, in the heart of "Greek Calabria" that flourished thanks to settlers from Ancient Greece.

Noble stone mansions are located under the sheer ruins of a Norman castle.

Walking through the narrow streets, the clatter of old looms can still be heard. Weaving traditions go back millennia, and unique fibers are still harvested from the tops of the nearby Aspromonte Mountains.

Fresh goat milk is sold every day. Ethnic music festivals, a Byzantine Easter party with fruit decorations and a picturesque carnival are the main events of the area.

Kakkuri

Built as a vantage point against pirate raids, this impressive hilltop castle overlooks a maze of alleyways, stone houses, and tiny plazas with private entrances.

For centuries the village was ruled by powerful feudal families. They killed and poisoned each other.

The olive groves are scattered over the hills and produce the highest quality olive oil. Part of the fortress with high walls and a loggia tower has been converted into an elegant designer resort.

Albidona

This village is located at an altitude of 850 meters, but with an area stretching all the way to the sea, with a fenced pine forest and a cozy beach with a Saracen tower.

It is close to the border with Basilicata and Puglia, making it an ideal base for traveling in all three regions, while also enjoying the Pollino National Park and the warm, sunny coastline.

A 10-minute drive away, locals can get off the mountain for a swim, or climb the mountain for a refreshing dip or go hiking.

Legend has it that it was founded by a blind seer fleeing the burning Troy. The ruins of a crumbling castle overlook a garden with cherries, almonds and apple trees. The coast is made of the same material as the Ionian Sea in Greece.

Sant'Agata del Bianco

The rustic atmosphere is preserved in this collection of modest peasant dwellings, where thick yellowish stone walls and green painted doors take tourists back in time.

The entire village and its rough cobbled alleys have been neatly renovated. The local trail "Way of Palmenti" passes through a network of old wells carved into the rocky ground and once used for wine production.

Built in Greek and Byzantine times, it is now an open-air historical monument. The colorful murals carve poems, the faces of smiling children and people drinking in the bar.

Among the attractions of interest are two museums - wine and "lost things".

Santa Severina

This village rises on a tuff cliff overlooking the Neto River. It is built in layers according to wealth: the palazzo, owned by wealthier families, is at the top of the hill, and the modest dwellings below are dug into the rock.

There are Greek and Jewish quarters with palm trees.

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The Baptistery is the oldest Byzantine monument in Calabria, and the impressive manicured castle has frescoed dungeons and stables.

Santa Severina is famous for its oranges. The villagers are called Aranciaru, which means "orange eaters" in the local dialect. The oranges grown here are the pride of Calabria due to their fertile soil and exceptional nutritional qualities. They are in demand in the best restaurants and at fruit exhibitions.

San Donato di Ninea

Dating back to pre-Greek colonization, this charming village is located in the deepest part of the Pollino Calabria National Park.

It is so remote and hidden that almost no one outside Calabria knew of its existence until the 1970s.

From the heights of the peaks, you can see the two seas of the region: the Ionian and the Tyrrhenian.

This unspoiled area is home to many wildlife and plants and is considered one of Italy's finest wildlife sanctuaries.

Orchids grow along mountain paths that lead to panoramic huts. It is a chestnut paradise with popular food fairs.

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