Abandoning the rat race and escaping to Italy to live out one’s days in the sunshine is the dream of many – even more so if there’s a cash incentive to do it.

Now the stunning European nation, which is visited by 57 million tourists from around the world every year, is offering families £23,000 to move to the idyllic regions of Sardinia and Calabria – but there’s a catch. 

The offer is a move from the Italian government to repopulate areas of the nation that are seeing populations decline due to an exodus of young Italians moving to larger cities or overseas for work – meaning the towns from which they hail are somewhat left behind.   

In response to the decline, the government is inviting overseas citizens to move to Italy – but they will only receive the £23,000 if they choose to live in one of nine small villages with a population of 2,000 people or fewer.

While some might be put off by the idea of living in a sleepy Italian village, others may be enticed by the cash incentive and stunning scenery.  

One of the areas on offer is the scenic southwestern area of Calabria, where families are being given the five-figure sum to move to one of nine villages and call the close knit community their new home. 

Other options include Presicce-Acquarica, the ‘heel’ of Italy’s ‘boot’ where those seeking a new start in life are being offered almost £25,000 to up sticks and make Italy their permanent residence. 

And finally Sardinia is one option for people who fancy a change of pace.      

Italy is visited by more than 57million people each year but now the government are trying to encourage people to stay longer than just a couple of weeks

Applicants must be no older than forty and move within 90 days of acceptance of their application. 

And there’s another condition – anyone moving over to the Mediterranean country will have to either start a new business that benefits locals or fill an in-demand job that the local community are struggling to do.

Those who do fit the criteria can opt to receive the money as a lump sum or in monthly instalments. Suggestions for businesses they can choose to establish include hotels, bed and breakfasts, restaurants and shops. 

According to LBC, Councillor Gianluca Gallo said small towns ‘are the true identity of the territory’ and is desperate to stop them declining. 

He added: ‘We want to make demand for jobs meet supply, that’s why we’ve asked villages to tell us what type of professionals they’re missing to attract specific workers.

‘We’ve had a huge interest from villages and hopefully, if this first scheme works, more are likely to follow in coming years.’

Calabria is offering almost £25,000 for people to move over but expats must make the area their permanent residence and start a business 

Similar conditions must be followed for expats choosing one of the other areas on offer.

For Presicce-Acquarica, there is £25,000 up for grabs which families can use to start their new lives – but they must ensure the town is their primary residence. 

After just 60 births compared to 150 deaths last year, the town is also offering a grant of €1,000 or £828 for each newborn baby to entice families to bolster the falling population.

On the island of Sardinia, young Italians have left in droves to start a new life or find better employment opportunities elsewhere, but to counter the population decline, the picturesque island is offering £12,418 to encourage people over.

However, successful applicants must move to a municipality with fewer than 3,000 residents, use the funds to buy or renovate a home and become a full-time Sardinian resident within 18 months.

‘We have created the conditions for young people to decide to stay and (develop) the economic fabric of the most fragile territories,’ the Sardinian President Christian Solinas said in a press release according to the Independent.

‘There can be no growth without a real enhancement of the territories, of the interior and most disadvantaged areas, which must pass through new policies for their repopulation.’

For Presicce-Acquarica, expats are being offered a grant of €1,000 or £828 for each newborn baby to entice families to bolster the falling population

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What happened to the Idyllic Sicilian village where homes sold for £1

A total of €105million has now been set aside for the project in a bid to rejuvenate the area. 

This is not the first time Italy has used cash incentives to encourage people.

In 2023, Sicily began auctioning off abandoned houses with a €1 starting bid to regenerate the village.

A host of plucky Americans decided to take the plunge and move out there and one, Meredith Tabbone, 43, from Chicago bought a property that had no electricity or running water and had a roof thick with asbestos.

Although bids started at just €1 – but she threw in a random offer of £4,400 – and found out she was the successful buyer months later.

It cost Meredith €750 (£661) to hire a team to remove the roof in an environmentally-safe way.

Meredith then bought the empty home next door for £27,000 – and spent 46 months and £210,000 knocking them together to build a 3,000sqft four bed getaway.

She plans to stay in the house part-time – and calls it her ‘extended vacation home’.

Since then, Meredith has bought two guest houses in the same village for £28,000 in total, and a disused building for £58,000 which she’s turning into a gallery and café.