A couple bought a Sicilian townhouse at auction with a one euro starting bid - and transformed it into a stunning $250,000 Renaissance-style palazzo. The council in Sambuca di Sicilia auctioned 16 abandoned homes in the sun drenched mountain village, with prices starting at a symbolic one euro.
Massoud Ahmadi, 70, and his wife Shelley, 60, bought an abandoned 18th century townhouse for just $10,500 (£8,400), in January 2019. The crumbling internal walls were stained brown and the rooms were packed full of old junk, including a retro pram.
They spent $200,000 (£160,000) on the once "uninhabitable" three-storey property. He "couldn’t fathom" renovating the property within a three year deadline imposed by the council - but pulled it off thanks to the help of local architects and artisans.
