The 1 euro houses project was born with the aim of tackling the phenomenon of depopulation which has spread to isolated areas such as those of the Vergemoli factory municipality.
Since the 1950s, many territories have experienced and are experiencing a process of population decline. In these areas, in fact, a negative balance between births and deaths has been accompanied and continues to be accompanied by a negative migration balance. In marginal territories of the country the phenomenon of emigration, which began in the years of industrialization, has never ended.
In the same period, the constant decrease in the number of births and the increase in life expectancy have also altered the age structure and led to a significant aging process. This phenomenon, in addition to decreasing the number of young people, has also triggered a process of abandonment of properties.
For this reason, many Italian municipalities have found themselves facing the problem of “ghost towns” made up of structures that are now dilapidated and dangerous.
For all this, the management of abandoned real estate assets, both private and public, must not be considered a burden to be freed from, but a resource for cultural, agricultural and tourist development.
The enhancement interventions must favor the permanence of existing buildings, with the aim of minimizing transformative interventions in order to preserve the historical and cultural identity of our territory.
We do not need new buildings and new overbuilding, the strategy to improve the living environment and reclaim our cultural identity is to revive small abandoned centers or redevelop abandoned assets, with a history that is our history.
This project aims to raise awareness of the territory and its riches and is interested in bringing abandoned villages to light.
The €1 houses currently available are the following:
Panicaglia
The property is located in Panicaglia, about 5km from Gallicano, the town where most of the useful services are present (pharmacy, supermarket, etc.). The property is divided into two residential units, one part abandoned in the 1960s and the other in the 1980s. Structurally the property is still usable and accessible inside. The house can only be reached via a dirt road with the use of suitable vehicles (small 4×4 and non-4×4 vehicles).
Location Desiderio
The ruin is located along the panoramic road that leads from the Grotta del Vento to Vergemoli. The building is now completely destroyed and only the foundations are visible. The place called Desiderio precisely because many inhabitants of Fornovolasco (a nearby village) wanted to own this property. The ruin is located in one of the most beautiful areas of the municipal territory, entirely surrounded by the most beautiful peaks of the Apuan Alps.
Vergemoli
Inside the historic village of Vergemoli, a settlement dating back to the 10th century, there is a house for 1 euro. The property is located in the historic center and is one of the oldest houses located right where the ancient entrance to the town stood. A property abandoned in the 1960s and the house is currently uninhabitable as part of the roof collapsed in 2021 due to bad weather.
Bovaio
Alpine pasture located a few steps from San Pellegrinetto and Gallatoio, in the heart of the Apuan Alps Park. Small town still inhabited which hosts a club open on weekends and participates in organizing themed parties and dinners. The structure available is highlighted in the photo below and is equivalent to a part of the house, not exactly half, but a part behind the house is for sale.
Vispereglia
Once upon a time, when the pace of life was not like that of these years, people could afford to live in small towns, made up of a few houses and isolated from the “big centres”. They carried on as small autonomous ecosystems and managed to have everything they needed thanks to crops, ingenuity and their resources. With the passage of time these villages have disappeared and what remains of them are bare and abandoned buildings, eager to tell their story. This is the case of Vispereglia. The town, abandoned for at least 50 years, can only be reached on foot or by 4×4 vehicles. It offers a unique show.
To get there you pass through Chieva, from here you continue along the stream until you reach a dirt road that crosses a spectacular forest of centuries-old chestnut trees. Once we reach the town we get lost among the ancient abandoned houses, now inhabited only by vegetation. But the houses are still there, and one has the impression of being frozen in a bygone time…
To visit the town you need to call the Municipality of Fabbriche di Vergemoli, ask to speak to an operator of the 1 euro Houses Project and arrange an appointment. We would like to underline that the town can be visited on foot, following a route of approximately 6 km (approximately 1 hour’s walk) or by 4×4 vehicle (we do not have this vehicle).
