Italian town selling houses for just £2.50

A quaint town nestled in the Italian countryside is selling off unoccupied houses for just £2.50 - but there is a catch to the bargain.

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Sambuca di Sicilia, in Sicily and just a half-an-hour drive from the coast, is putting a bunch of abandoned homes under the hammer at auction.

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Despite a starting price of just €3, many are in a rundown condition after being abandoned years ago and need of some serious TLC.

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Talking about the scheme to revive the town, local mayor Giuseppe Cacioppo said: "Foreigners are flocking to buy our homes, it’s been a hit so far."

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New residents will have to spend at least £13,000 renovating the homes and pay a £4,000 deposit which is given back once the work is completed.

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Massoud Ahmadi, 70, and his wife Shelley, 60, bought an abandoned two-bedroom 18th century townhouse in a previous auction.

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It took three years of hard work and £160,000, but the couple transformed the crumbling three-story property into an amazing home.

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