Do you dream of living in a castle? Or wants to own one without paying for it? Well, you can finally live your dream. The Italian government is giving away 103 historic sites. That’s right! They are giving away free castles, mansions, and farmhouses in remote areas to attract foreign visitors and tourists.
Italy’s government wants to boost its faltering regional tourism sector by giving away free castles and historic sites. The aim is to alleviate tourist overcrowding at popular spots in Italy, including Venice, Florence, and Rome. The efforts to lure in more tourists to a remote part of the country have been ramping up lately. In fact, the mayor in Bormida, a small village in Liguria is offering $2,946 and a week’s worth of free accommodation. The village is an hour and a half drive to Genoa, in North West Italy.
Some of the castles the Italian government is giving away free includes the castle where Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes tied the knot. The Orsini-Odescalchi castle in Bracciano, Rome can be yours. Are you interested now? They are also giving away timeworn monasteries, rural farmhouses, ancient inns, as well as the 11th Century Castello di Blera in Lazio, which sits on a cliff and the 13th-century Castello di Montefiore in Marche region.
You must feel very lucky now and would probably want to book a ticket to Rome. Before you start planning a trip to Italy, you must first submit a proposal by June 26. The proposal should outline how you will turn the property into a functioning tourism facility. But, most importantly you need to commit to renovating and restoring the heritage site for tourists. The successful applicants are then given a nine-year lease for the property.
The free castle project is part of Italy’s Strategic Tourist Plan, a combined effort by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and the State Property Agency to ease the influx of visitors on the major tourists’ destinations. So, if you have a dream of running a spa, restaurants, shops, hotels or visitors centers in Italy, now is your chance. Submit a proposal and pledge to renovate castles into anything that will attract foreign and local tourist.
Via BoredPanda
