Homes in Sicily selling for as little as $2 to repopulate historic towns

SICILY, Italy -- Homes in Sicilian towns are selling for just a couple of dollars in an effort to repopulate and renovate the crumbling historic homes.

The Municipality of Mussomeli hopes to sell the homes to buyers in order to repopulate the historic center with people from all over the world.

The weather is cold and dry in the winter, and warm and windy in the summer. Rain falls in the months of January, February, March, April, October and December, and are almost completely absent in the summer.

Many ancient sites are nearby, including Manfredi's Castle and historic temples of Agrigento.

But, there is a catch.

Buyers will have to renovate the homes within three years of purchase, and the amount of work to be done varies at each home. Buyers will also have to pay additional fees and taxes, bringing the total cost to anywhere between $2,700 and $4,500.

Many of the homes lack electricity, air conditioning and common amenities that will need to be added.

The towns, however, experience very little crime and offer a relaxed lifestyle that the municipality believes will be an offer too good to resist.

This isn't the first Italian town to offer a deal like this. The village of Ollolai, in the mountains of central Sardinia, an island off the coast of Italy, is offering abandoned homes for just one euro.

Take a look at the homes and get more information here.