Gangi, Palermo - Sicily by Claudio Siragusa on 500px

Buy real estate. It always goes up. That’s the mantra, right?

Few things in life are that black and white.

A small town in Sicily called Gangi is in the midst of a novel urban renewal experiment. They are giving away houses for free to people who will agree to renovate them within a 4 year time period.

Here’s the “free houses” notice from the Comune Di Gangi explaining how it works and who to contact. You have to be an Italian or EU citizen to participate.

Free can be a powerful business model, as we see all the time with tech companies. And sometimes cities and towns aren’t all that different.

So if you’re looking for a vacation home or want to move to Sicily, now might be a great time.