A woman who plans to retire to the Mediterranean has bought three houses in Italy for just one euro each. Rubia Daniels flew out to Mussomeli, Sicily, after hearing of the "one euro home" scheme which was launched in 2019 in response to increasing numbers of abandoned buildings.
The 49-year-old purchased three run-down historic fixer-uppers and paid just €3 (£2.66) for them in total. They are located within a 10-minute drive of each other are expected to need €20,000 (£17.7k) to restore them.
According to the Mirror, she plans on turning one into an art gallery, another into a wellness centre and she plans to live in the smallest of the three with her partner Kenneth Pitts, 65, during their retirement. Rubia believes each house will be worth €30k (£26.6k) when renovated, but says she has no plans to sell.
The project manager, from San Fransisco, California, US, but originally from Brazil, said: "You get the property free basically and then it's expected you to spend €20k to remodel the exterior.
"You don't even get a car for $20k (£16k) in California, it's a very small investment. We have one mostly completed already when we go, and hopefully the second will be done by October.
"The third house, I haven’t started yet, but that will be my biggest project. The roof is fully collapsed - but it will be so beautiful. I never felt overwhelmed or fearful about this project - it's a big task but a great opportunity."
In order to assist repopulate quiet areas where buildings have become vacant and rundown, Italy's One Euro house program was introduced in Sicily in 2019. All of the buildings need work and investment to bring them up to scratch.
When Rubia first learned about the plan, she was enthralled and immediately booked a flight to Sicily to inspect houses. By June 2019 she owned three neglected homes in Mussomeli, Sicily, which is a small town that reminded her of her own childhood growing up in Brazil.
She said: "I packed all my tools, bought a generator and power washer ready to go - by then my partner was thinking ‘this woman is nuts.' We went, and I flew my brother-in-law over from Brazil to help us with the renovation."
They began work on the smallest house first because it was in the best condition of the three and quickly became liveable. For all the properties they plan to keep as much of the original features as possible, inside and out.
Rubia and her partner have flown out every couple of months to monitor renovations on the second property which she hopes to turn into an art gallery. Once done, she'll move on to the third property which she said will be her biggest project.
Rubia, a mum of four, said: "It’s a four-floor corner building - it's so beautiful. It's all beautiful. When you go into the houses you feel the history, it's incredible - like going back in time."
Rubia said partner Kenneth is "very supportive" of the ambitious project. Once fully furnished, Rubia plans to list the property on Airbnb for the months she is in the US for some extra income.
She said: "It was a fantastic new concept for me. I work in the environmental industry and to use what we already have where properties have been abandoned - it’s a great opportunity.
"In Sicily the air is clean, the food is great - the place is just great. Mussomeli is a small town, but we still have hospitals, banks, pharmacies, supermarkets, bars, restaurants and a little area with boutiques.
"It’s a small town but everything is in place, you don’t have to go out of town for anything. It's only 40 minutes to the coast and there are plenty of archaeological sites to see as well. And in years to come, I can pass the houses onto my children.
"All of this is possible because of the one euro programme."
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