Italian village offers $1 homes to Americans looking to leave after Trump win
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An aerial view of the Gulf of Orosei which, like Ollolai, is in the province of Nuoro, on Italy's island of Sardinia. Photo: DeAgostini/Getty Images
A village on the Italian island of Sardinia is offering homes from $1.06 to Americans looking to leave the U.S. following President-elect Trump's reelection, per CNN.
The big picture: The drive of Ollolai, a rural village in the province of Nuoro, follows a spike in online searches in the U.S. for moving abroad following the presidential election.
Driving the news: Ollolai has been working to boost its population, which has fallen to roughly 1,200 — and Mayor Francesco Columbu told CNN that liveinollolai.com was "specifically created" to "meet U.S. post-elections relocation needs."
- A statement on the website of the village that's on the large Mediterranean island west of mainland Italy asks visitors if they're worn out by global politics and looking to "embrace a more balanced lifestyle" and new opportunities.
- "It's time to start building your European escape in the stunning paradise of Sardinia," it says.
- "Nestled in pristine nature, surrounded by incredible cuisine, and immersed in a community with ancient traditions, in the rare Earth's Blue Zone, Ollolai is the perfect destination to reconnect, recharge, and embrace a new way of life," the statement adds.
What they're saying: Columbu told CNN the historic hillside village was focused on targeting Americans "above all" because officials believe they can be the "winning card" to reviving Ollolai.
- "We can't of course ban people from other countries to apply, but Americans will have a fast-track procedure," he said.
- "Of course, we can't specifically mention the name of one U.S. president who just got elected, but we all know that he's the one from whom many Americans want to get away from now and leave the country," Columbu added.
- "The village remains half empty, we still have about 100 unoccupied cheap homes potentially on sale, ready to move in. We have mapped and listed them all, and soon photos will be online for buyers to take a look at."
Zoom in: Ollolai is offering homes that need renovating from 1 euro to ones that are ready to move in for 100,000 euros or more, while some digital nomads may qualify for free temporary housing
- The village's website promises to guide those interested "through every step of your journey, from arranging viewings to finding contractors and navigating the necessary bureaucracy."
- Village officials said in an August online post that a digital nomad initiative launched 12 months earlier to attract professionals to work remotely from Ollolai had attracted 18,000 requests.
- ''It is certainly not thought to solve serious problems such as depopulation, but it is a way to break down barriers, bring different knowledge and experiences into the community and make the territory known," Columbu said in a statement.
Flashback: Ollolai in 2018 offered abandoned homes for 1 euro each to anyone willing to spend $25,000 per house to renovate the properties.
Fun fact: Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is an honorary citizen of Ollolai due to the Hollywood star's friendship with the late bodybuilder Franco Columbu, who was born in the village and whom the Austrian-born ex-bodybuilder regarded as his "favorite training partner."
Zoom out: Google data showed searches for "move to Canada" jumped 1,270% in the 24 hours after polls closed in the eastern U.S. on Nov. 5. Searches for moves to New Zealand and Australia were up almost 2,000% and 820%, respectively.
- Reuters notes Immigration New Zealand's website logged about 25,000 new U.S. users on Nov. 7. The same date the previous year drew 1,500.
Go deeper: Secret Trump voters have post-election coming out party
Editor's note: This article has been updated with more comment from Ollolai Mayor Francesco Columbu and further context.
