L'Aquila · Abruzzo
ProjectPartner comuneA restored medieval village paying founders to move in
Photo © Ra Boe / Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 de.
Decline, ageing, empty stock, declared shortages
Schools, medical, shops, connectivity, travel
Sample profiles until real trades register here
Wants people, but you would be renovating the town as well as the house.
Sitting at 1,250m inside the Gran Sasso park, this is the model case for grant-funded repopulation: capital plus a stipend for people who commit to living there and trading there. Beautiful, cold, and serious about who it takes.
Before you fall in love
Drawn from comune statements, school and service data, and the shape of the local economy.
Business founders, urgency 5 of 5
Grants target new businesses inside the historic centre.
Hospitality, urgency 5 of 5
Albergo diffuso model needs operators.
Artisans, urgency 4 of 5
Wool, lentils and stone crafts are the local identity.
Historic village enterprise grantsClosed
Santo Stefano di Sessanio's celebrated scheme — residency income plus up to ~€20,000 business start-up, worth ~€40,000+ combined — was a single call in late 2020 that drew ~20,000 applicants. Nothing is live on the comune's site today, but it is the template other borghi copy, so new calls appear.
Eligibility
What you commit to
Terms checked against the issuing body on 2026-08-18 · official source.
Renovation tax deduction (bonus ristrutturazioni)
50% of qualifying renovation spend on a main home (36% on other properties) deducted from Italian income tax, on up to €96,000 per unit, spread over ten equal annual instalments. From 2027 the rates step down to 36%/30% — work started in 2026 keeps the higher rate on 2026 spend.
Eligibility
What you commit to
Terms checked against the issuing body on 2026-08-18 · official source.
1251m up, 75km from the sea, 130km from an airport.
Loading map…
Mostly covered, but nobody registered for geometra (surveyor).
Nobody registered here for:
You would be bringing these in from elsewhere, which adds travel costs and slows the schedule. Budget for it before you commit to a renovation deadline.
Santo Stefano di Sessanio, Abruzzo
Conservation-grade restoration inside a protected historic centre, where material and finish rules are strict and enforced. Books far ahead.
Santo Stefano di Sessanio, Abruzzo
Heating systems specified for 1,250m, where an underspecified boiler is a genuinely serious mistake.
Mussomeli, Sicilia
Sworn translation of deeds and scheme paperwork, plus attending the notary by video to translate live. Works remotely, so covers everywhere.
Covers 12 towns in our index