A region in the Italian countryside will pay you Dh100,000 to live there

Molise newcomers can claim the monthly reward when they open a business in one of the region's least-populated villages

Italian authorities will pay you to live in Molise. Courtesy Flickr
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The region of Molise in south central Italy is introducing a reward scheme to attract people to come and live in the remote mountainous area.

Italian authorities are offering €700 (Dh2,800) per month to anyone who moves to Molise’s most remote villages and start up a local business of any form.

Newcomers must opt to live in one of the most underpopulated villages with less than 2,000 residents and can claim the monthly fee for three years, pocketing a total of Dh100,000. Businesses must run for at least five years said Antoni Tedeschi, the regional Councillor introducing the idea.

The scheme is a way to regenerate the remote region which is part of the National Park of Abruzzo. Since 2014, the region of Molise has lost more than 9,000 inhabitants, according to the Italian National Institute of Statistics.

Old-world charm

New residents can expect to live in a region where history, culture and traditional Italian food play a prominent role.

Touted as one of Italy’s best-kept secrets, the region has some magnificent landscapes, fantastic ski-resorts and long sandy coastlines along the Mediterranean.

Molise isn’t the first Italian region to try to lure new residents in with incentives.

Several towns such as Sambuca in southern Italy, Zungoli in the Campania region and Mussomeli in Sicily have offered properties for sale for just $1 (Dh4), with an accompanying clause that new owners must invest in renovating the homes.