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Village near Rome joins Italy's €1 home sell-off

Part 1. Vocabulary

bucolic

 

/ byoo-kol-ik / adj.

- relating to the country or country life: pastoral

The bucolic English countryside.

fiery

 

/fahyuhr-ee/ adj.

- easily angered or provoked:

“a fiery temper.”

abandoned

 

/uh-ban-duhnd/ adj.

- left by the owner

“an abandoned house/car”

alleys

 

/ al-ee / n.

- a narrow street or passage between buildings

An alley is a narrow passage between buildings or other structures.

get in touch

- establish communication with someone;

We tried to get in touch with you, but you were out of town


Part 2. Comprehension Questions

What is the €1 houses ideal for?

What is the goal of Mayor Claudio Sperduti in launching the event?

What should interested buyers do?

What does the town hope to achieve for the sale of houses?

Who is encouraged to apply to buy a house?

 

Part 3. Article Reading

(CNN) — Italy's ongoing clearance sale of €1 houses have been ideal for people seeking to start a new life in some of the country's far-flung corners.

This month, the bucolic town of Maenza has become the first in Rome's Latium region to begin selling homes for just over a dollar.

The historic location, high up on the wild Lepini hills south of the capital, where shepherds and fiery tribes once lived, is making available dozens of abandoned stone dwellings in the hope of attracting new occupants.

Mayor Claudio Sperduti says he's launching an ambitious "pact for the rebirth" of his hometown with the aim of breathing new life into its quiet alleys. The goal, he says, is to recover all disused crumbling properties by liaising between old owners and potential buyers lured by knockdown prices.

"We're taking it one step at a time. As original families get in touch and hand over to us their old houses, we place these on the market through specific public notices on our website to make it all very transparent," Sperduti tells CNN.

Interested buyers are also invited to contact the town hall to make specific property requests and local officials will attempt to match their requirements.

The town hopes it can breathe new life into about 100 neglected properties, some of which have become a potential danger to passersby because of their dilapidated condition.

Those who manage to buy a property in Maenza must commit to renovating it within three years and cough up a deposit guarantee of €5,000 (about $5,840) to be returned once works are completed.

A detailed restyle plan on what the property will become -- be it a home, B&B, shop, or restaurant -- must also be filed.

Taking up residency is not compulsory but families with kids and young couples who wish to live in Maenza on a semi-permanent basis are encouraged to apply, says Sperduti. [Silvia Marchetti, CNN]

Source: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/italy-one-euro-homes-maenza-rome/index.html

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