The northern Italian village of Bormida has hit the headlines because its council is offering €2,000 to anybody who wants to come and live there.
The idea is to boost the population of the village, where rents can be as low as €50 a month. I, for one, am tempted — particularly given Bormida’s close proximity to the borders with Monaco and France, and to the beautiful port of Savona, where Costa Cruises has a terminal.
Bormida, population 394 (down from 1,000 in the 1950s), has four restaurants, a pharmacy and a doctor who visits three days a week. What else do you need?
It is just one of hundreds of villages that are doing it tough because their young people are moving to the big smoke for work and adventure.
I’m not sure if I’d qualify for the cash payout, but it seems to me that I could do a lot worse than spend some time in a small Italian village.
It could be the perfect place to write a novel, or a base to explore southern Europe.
Best, first, to brush up my Italian.
