One euro for one month's rent: forty digital nomads ready to move to Ollolai
This is one of two initiatives promoted by the municipal administration to counter depopulation
2' min read
Key points
2' min read
Forty thousand to work remotely in Ollolai in Barbagia, for one month, paying only 1 euro rent. The project Work from Ollolai (digital nomads), promoted by the village that offers houses for sale at 1 euro to contrast depopulation, has filled up and the municipality has received a flood of applications. All ready to live for a month and work remotely in the Barbagia village.
40 thousand requests for digital nomads
.A success, as mayor Francesco Columbu emphasises, for the programme that "aims to bring experienced professionals to work in the village" without paying rent (as the amount of 1 euro is derisory) in exchange for "sharing knowledge with the population". Because the aim is 'to promote the exchange of information and experiences between rural communities and the rest of the world, to increase opportunities for local students to learn about new digital professions, remote work opportunities and cultural interchange'.
Successful experiment
.That the experiment was successful is confirmed by the new calls and e-mails arriving at City Hall. "The requests keep coming in," he says, "both from the US and from other countries. Now there are the Dutch who, after the reality show, consider it a desirable destination".
Explaining what the guest who lives and works in Ollolai for a euro can then do is the mayor himself. "The guest's contribution can be in the form of a public presentation, lecture or lesson, on the guest's skills and background,' he says. 'For example, if you are a product manager, you can talk about what a pm is, how you become one, what you study, and give examples of your daily life, the kind of problems you solve, and how you find work, remote or not'.
1 euro for 1 month's rent
.As for operation, the guest pays a symbolic 1 euro for the rent of the house for one month. The municipality of Ollolai covers the rent. "Guests are responsible for any other expenses, including food, utilities, storage, travel." The guests stay in a private house. Depending on how many people are in the group and availability it could be a 1BR or 2BR flat. The initiative is then linked to the 1 Euro Houses project, as the two programmes 'are connected'.
