Years of emigration reduced the town’s population from 9,000 to about 5,000.

Saving Sambuca

Three years ago, a hilltop town in Sicily auctioned off abandoned houses starting at one euro. How’s it going?

By Tom Kington

Standing in the warm winter sun outside Sambuca’s 16th century church, the deputy mayor was listing the startling changes in his town since it started selling houses for a euro.

“There is a new estate agent, restaurant, café and food shop, while two ceramics workshops have opened,” Giuseppe Cacioppo said. “And there’s the $23 million we think people will spend doing up their new homes.”