An idyllic Italian village is offering the chance for remote workers to join its community for just 1 euro with the chance to enjoy endless sunshine, untouched nature, and tasty Italian cuisine in exchange for teaching locals about their area of expertise.
The village of Ollolai on the Italian island of Sardinia, the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, wants “successful professionals” to contribute to the community by sharing their knowledge through talks, classes, or projects. In return, the picturesque village will envelop them in local traditional culture including food, street art, festivals, 300 days of sunshine, and the unique experience of the “blue zone,” one of five designated spots worldwide where many people surpass the age of 100.
The “symbolic euro” covers rent and utilities, while the remote workers are responsible for their transport and leisure expenses. Their lodgings are traditional private homes and range from one to two bedrooms, depending on how many people there are in the group and availability, but they’re not Airbnbs, nor hotels.
Since landing in Sardinia, Ms. Partis particularly loves shopping for fresh ingredients at local farmers’ markets and making traditional Italian gnocchi with pesto.
“We expect a lot of Americans,” said Veronica Matta, head of the Sardinian cultural association Sa Mata, which handles WFO in collaboration with the mayor’s office. “Our goal is to revive Ollolai with new people of different cultures and languages that may share their experience [as] digital nomads with the residents.”
After Ms. Partis, the next remote worker was expected to arrive from Singapore.
In recent years, the Italian authorities have declared Ollolai’s steadily decreasing population a national emergency. The island is home to just 1,300 people, down from 2,250 a hundred years ago, with only a handful of babies born each year.
Additionally, many former residents have left for opportunities elsewhere.
Italy is also spearheading a country-wide initiative that allows people to “buy a house for 1 euro,” as a way of encouraging people from overseas to invest in Italian properties and partake in the Mediterranean lifestyle.
The program states clearly that they aren’t able to provide immigration/visa or tax recommendations, and guests can stay for a maximum of a month at the moment—they will evaluate case-by-case requests for longer stays.
