Ollolai makes an offer to Americans upset with the election results
Like many Italian villages, Ollolai in Sardinia in Italy has seen its population decline over the decades. Youngsters leave the village, seeking a future in the bit cities leaving only the aged population back home. Meanwhile, with the re-election of Donald Trump to the US presidency, Ollolai has seized on a potential opportunity.
Ollolai, like many other rural villages in Italy, has been trying to attract outsiders to move in to revive the village’s fortunes after decades of depopulation. The village has already been offering dilapidated for as little as €1.00 ($1.05) to attract a new population. However, after the November 5 presidential vote went to Trump, the village is hoping to attract more Americans to buy one of the empty homes to strengthen the population.
The village has now launched a website aimed at US expats looking for a new home following the election. The home page reads:
Are you worned [sic] out by global politics? Looking to embrace a more balanced lifestyle while securing new opportunities? It’s time to start building your European escape in the stunning paradise of Sardinia.
Reviving the community of an Italian village
We just really want, and will focus on, Americans above all. We can’t, of course, ban people from other countries to apply, but Americans will have a fast-track procedure. We are betting on them to help us revive the village, they are our winning card.
According to the mayor, Ollolai offers three tiers of accommodation – free temporary homes for digital nomads, €1.00 dilapidated homes requiring renovations, and ready-to-move-in houses at bargain prices up to €100,000 ($105,000).
Mayor Columbu said he has organized a special team to guide interesting buyers through each step of the purchase. This will include private tours of the available houses and finding contractors and builders, and completing the paperwork. Columbu added that photos and plans of the available homes will soon be available on the website.
Meanwhile, the past century has seen Ollolai’s population shrink from 2,250 to 1,300 with few babies born each year. Moreover, due to tough economic times, many families have left the village heading for bigger towns or cities.
Meanwhile, the village may seem desperate to lure people to halt depopulation, while Americans have an offer of “preferential treatment,” which might seem controversial. The mayor added.
Americans will have a fast-track procedure. We are betting on them to help us revive the village, they are our winning card.
Moreover, the village’s website makes no mention of holding a US passport as a prerequisite, but Columbu did say US citizens will be favored above applicants from other countries, adding:
Of course, we can’t specifically mention the name of one US president who just got elected, but we all know that he’s the one from whom many Americans want to get away from now and leave the country.
We have specifically created this website now to meet US post-elections relocation needs. The first edition of our digital nomad scheme which launched last year was already solely for Americans.
Meanwhile, the village‘s website has attracted 38,000 requests for further information, mainly from the US.
“So we were really looking to create a platform that caters to US citizens, and to group together our various projects,” says Columbu.
Interested parties can visit the website for more information.