As the COVID-19 malaise slowly wears off around the world, governments are looking for quick and innovative ways to jumpstart their travel industries.
Portugal is building a remote workers’ village on the beautiful island of Madeira, and now two Italian cities are paying 50% of the rental costs of remote workers looking to trade their current digs for a slice of medieval Italian hardiness.
Rieti in the Lazio region and Santa Fiora in Tuscany both find it difficult to keep young people in town, and populations in both municipalities are stagnant.
Perhaps for young haired Italians, the allure of medieval walls, Renaissance squares and Baroque palaces amid vineyards, rivers, local markets and chestnut forests is not to be bought, but for most Americans, it is the quintessential view of European life.
And all of this can be yours if you prove to the Mayor of Santa Fiora Federico Balocchi that you are a full-time remote worker and that you commit to a stay of more than two months.
This is a serious government initiative, not a paid holiday, and Balocchi pointed out CNN Travel that the goal is not only to bring in outside money, but to find people who seek to revitalize Santa Fiora.
Dreams of Tuscany
Simply wired with high speed fiber optic internet, Santa Fiora recently got the option of hosting teleworkers, or “smart workers†as Italians call them.
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Nestled in the heart of the Tuscan province of Montepulciano, it is located in the Monte Amiata Nature Reserve near Val D’Orcia, or Dorcia Valley. Not far from Siena, houses are affordable, costing between € 300 and € 500 per month, for which a licensed teleworker would receive a check for 50% of the total, potentially transporting you from your dirty studio to that dream village. for around € 200, or $ 240 per month.
For investors or entrepreneurs, especially those with an Italian heritage or connections, Balocchi is also offering a € 30,000 grant for those looking to open a bed and breakfast or hostel business in town, and is also willing to provide childcare assistance.
“The goal is to get people to move in and work virtually from here. We want Santa Fiora to become their flexible office, â€said Balocchi. “Every time a young person goes to look for a job elsewhere, a piece of our village is taken away from him.”
The town has set up a website for people to take advantage of the offer, and they have included links to local services like plumbing, other utilities, and childcare. The city is perfect for nature lovers, and horseback riding, hiking and mountain biking are popular pastimes.
A little closer to Rome
Rieti, with a population of 50,000, is also witnessing stagnant opportunities for young people and is keen to invite remote workers to bring an outside perspective to the city in Roman times.
An hour and a half from the Eternal City, Rieti was founded by members of the Italian tribe before Rome controlled the entire peninsula, and remains from the Roman period can be found under the streets, houses and in the countryside.
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“The rents in town are of the order of € 250 to € 500”, explains the deputy mayor of Rieti, Daniele Sinbaldi, to CNN. “For 600 € you can have an entire small villa in the peaceful countryside. In addition, the voucher can be used throughout the territory of Rieti, including the rural hamlets of Sant’Elia, Cerchiara and the ski resort of Terminillo, but we would like people to move to live in the historic center.
For employees, they would need a letter from their boss stating that they are in fact a remote worker with enough hours and money to pay a minimum rent of 6 months (the tenancy and tenancy terms in Italy are much stricter than in the United States) but auto- employees only need a detailed description of their job and proof of income to get rent assistance.
Located on one of the most important highways of Roman times and surrounded by coves, ponds, canals and lakes, Rieti is known as the ‘Venice of fresh water’ and by the less charming ‘Umbilicus Italiae â€or the Italian navel, as they claim that their historic city center is the geographic center of the country.
There is no convenient website like the one in Santa Fiora, and prospect movers should use subito.it, casa.it or immobilare.it – ​​all Italian rental sites – to find accommodation.
As this author, who is himself an American teleworker living in Italy, often says, many Americans will not think of spending 30 years dreaming of living in Europe, even though modern telecommunications have made it impossible.
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