If there's one thing not lacking in Italy, it's affordable real estate. Thousands of stunningly picturesque towns and villages — in the mountains, hilltops and seaside — sit half-empty, as the country's declining birth rate and prolonged economic crisis have led to an exodus of people from non-urban areas, and young people from Italy itself.

There has also been no shortage of creative attempts to draw people back: from one-euro homes and the waiving of some taxes for foreign buyers, to offers of a basic monthly income for a year or two for those who open small businesses.