There are a few places — Philadelphia (Eagles fans), New Jersey (Jets fans), Paris (the French) — where you couldn’t pay me to live.
But Italy — and specifically, the southern town of Candela — isn’t on my list. And now that the mayor is offering $2,350 for new residents to relocate, I’d certainly consider it.
So why, exactly, is Nicola Gatta offering up a suitcase full of cash to get people to relocate back to “Little Naples” and boost its population up from the 2,700 or residents that live there today? “I work each day with passion and commitment to bring Candela back to its ancient splendor,” Gatta told CNN. “Up until the 1960s, travelers called it ‘Nap’licchie’ for its streets full of wayfarers, tourists, merchants and screaming vendors.”
Since that time, things in town have deteriorated, which has facilitated a situation in which cash bribes are available to anyone — foreigners included — willing to move there.
In addition to shelling out the money (€800 for single people, €1,200 for couples, €1,500-1,800 for three-person families and more than €2,000 for families of four to five), Candela is also willing to offer tax credits on waste disposal and other bills.
Admittedly, it’s a little aggressive to just pick up and move somewhere without having visited, even if that place is guaranteed to have superior wine and pizza, so why not Airbnb it first?
Maybe I’ll see ya there.
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