An Italian village is offering houses for $1.50 to Americans upset by the US election results

Like many other places in rural Italy, Ollolai has long tried to convince foreigners to move in to revive its fortunes after decades of emptying.

He sold dilapidated houses for just one euro — just over one US dollar or AU$1.60 — to sweeten the deal.

“Are you (sic) tired of global politics? Would you like to embrace a more balanced lifestyle while securing new opportunities?” the website asks.

“It’s time to start building your European getaway in the stunning paradise of Sardinia.”

Mayor Francesco Columbu tells CNN that the website was created specifically to attract American voters ahead of the presidential election.

He says he loves the United States and is convinced that Americans are the best people to help revive his community.

“We just really want to and will focus on Americans first,” he says.

“Of course, we can’t ban people from other countries from applying, but the Americans will have an expedited process. We’re betting on them to help us revive the village, they’re our winning ticket.”

Columbu says the village now offers three levels of housing: free temporary homes to certain digital nomads, $1.6 homes in need of renovation, and move-in-ready homes priced up to $160,000.

The mayor says he has established a special team to guide interested buyers through every step of the purchase, from arranging customized private tours of available apartments to finding contractors, builders and reviewing the necessary paperwork.

He says photos and floor plans of vacant properties will soon be posted on the website.

In the last century, the Ollolai population decreased from 2,250 to 1,300 with only a few babies born each year.

Many families left the village in difficult economic times in search of work and a better life.

In the last few years, the number of inhabitants has further dropped to barely 1150 inhabitants.

While the village may be desperate to lure newcomers in an attempt to stem depopulation, offering Americans “preferential treatment,” as Columbu describes it, may seem a bit controversial.

The website does not mention having a US passport as a prerequisite, but the mayor says US citizens will be given preference over potential applicants of other nationalities.

“Of course, we cannot specifically mention the name of one American president who has just been elected, but we all know that he is the one that many Americans now want to run away from and leave the country,” Columbo adds.

“We have now specifically built this website to meet the needs of people moving to the US after the election. The first edition of our digital nomad scheme launched last year was already exclusively for Americans.”

The mayor says the city hall website was recently flooded with 38,000 requests for information on the houses, mostly from the United States.

“So we really wanted to create a platform that serves US citizens and group our different projects together,” says Columbu.

Ollolai previously tried to lure new residents with attractive housing plans.

In 2018, as first reported by CNN, the city hall started selling dilapidated empty houses for one euro.

Then they went to rent empty workspaces for a symbolic one euro.

Finally, at the beginning of last year, he launched the “work from Ollolai” program for digital nomads.

So far, they have hosted four Americans in fully equipped apartments for a symbolic one euro.

In return, they had to create something for the community, such as a work of art or a book.

City Hall pays to rent homes from local families for remote workers, paying roughly $568 a month for two-bedroom high-rises.

Utilities, bills and council tax are also covered.

But the reconstruction plans did not go as local authorities had hoped.

As of 2018, only 10 houses were sold for one euro and renovated, says Columbu.

“The village is still half-empty, we still have about 100 unoccupied low-cost homes potentially for sale, ready to move into. We’ve mapped and listed them all, and soon the photos will be online for buyers to view.”

Most of the buildings are located in the historic center and come in different sizes.

These are picturesque old heavy and shepherd’s dwellings built from local granite rocks.

Some “turnkey” facilities are even furnished and equipped with modern comfort.

There are no demographic requirements for US applicants; they can be people of all ages, retirees, remote workers or entrepreneurs who want to open a small business in the village.

Located in a wild mountain region, it rises on an untouched piece of land where ancient agricultural traditions live. It can boast fresh air without pollution, little crowd and a beautiful view.

In the fall during an event known as cortes apertas (open courtyards) see stables and old grass taverns open to the public, offering wine, prosciutto, cheese and other delicacies. The area is famous for the locally produced Casu Fiore Sardo cheese.

Another highlight of Ollolai’s calendar is the masked carnival with goat-like costumes and archaic rituals held in February every year.