A Beautiful Italian Town Will Pay You Up to $2350 to Move There

For quaint Italian villages, the future is looking lonely. Small towns in the country have fast-dwindling populations as younger residents move away in search of job opportunities.

So Italian municipalities outside major cities have been going to extremes to try to drum up future residents, including giving away homes for free and simply outlawing dying. And now, in Candela, some two hours outside of Naples, the mayor has pledged to pay people to move in. According to CNN, Candela’s mayor, Nicola Gatta, is offering up to $2350 to anyone willing to relocate to the town.

Candela once boasted more than 8000 residents, but that number has since shrunk to 2700. (That’s not that small in comparison with some other Italian towns—fewer than 90 people call the seaside village of Ostano home, and there were zero children born in the town between 1987 and 2016.) Candela’s origins date back to medieval times, but now, many of its houses stand empty. Located in the agrarian “breadbasket of Italy," Candela was once known as "Little Naples" for its bustling city center.

The mayor's offer varies based on who’s willing to move. If you’re single, you will receive around $950, while couples with no children will receive around $1400. Families of three will get up to $2100, and families of four or more will receive more than $2350.

There are contingencies, though. Residents have to rent a house in town for at least a year, and they have to work, earning a minimum annual salary of $8800. According to CNN, a few new residents have already moved in.

Sounds like it's time to pick up and move to Italy.

[h/t CNN]