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Innovation

House hunting? Buy an entire Tuscan village on eBay

After sitting uninhabited for over 50 years, a remote village in Tuscany is now for sale on eBay.
Written by Sarah Korones, Contributor

Like ghost towns in other parts of the world, the Italian village of Pratariccia has seen better days. With empty houses and overgrown fields, the Tuscan township has been uninhabited since the 1960s.

But instead of trying to renovate Pratariccia or lure in another crop of families, the property’s owners—reportedly a religious order—have decided to cut their losses and put the whole village up for sale… on eBay.

The medieval estate, which sits about 25 miles east of Florence, is now up for sale on the popular auction site for €2.5 million ($3.1 million), a price that includes the town’s 25 buildings and the right to build more.

“I put out all the usual details via the usual outlets but then thought why not use eBay?” Carlo Magni, the man arranging the sale, told the Telegraph. “So many people buy and sell online these days that it has to be worth it.”

The eBay ad makes no secret about the village’s “fixer-upper” status, however. After the town’s older generation died out and the economy forced young residents to move elsewhere, the hilltop sat empty for over 50 years. Now, most of the village’s structures are in ruin and driving through the town is nearly impossible since there are no real roads.

But according to Magni, who admits that the village would require another €1 million in repairs, the deal is still worthwhile.

“It's a unique once in a lifetime opportunity to own your very own Tuscan hamlet—and the price is a complete bargain,” he said. “Where else would you get all those buildings, land, panoramic view, plus all the history for 2.5 million Euro?

Images: Jaklin Riegelmann & Co

[via Telegraph, Guardian]

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

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