An Italian Sabbatical
An Italian Sabbatical
The American owned home-share company, Airbnb has been hit with many controversies over the last few years surrounding the issue that it’s customers have turned once residential areas into tourist hotspots. Critics say that this model has driven up property values and in essence made it impossible for residents to continue living in areas they have called home for most of their lives. The company, however, is seeking to make amends with locals with a new project in the sultry south of Italy by recruiting 4 people to move to the village of Grottole in the region of Basilicata for a 3 month “Italian sabbatical”.
Photo: Airbnb
During this trip, the participants will become part of the fabric of the community and to help revive the village. Like many places in Italy, particularly in the south, Grottole suffers from chronic depopulation to the point that the current population is 300 and there are around 600 empty homes in the town. The chosen candidates will enjoy an all-expenses-paid stay in the village, where they will be responsible for helping a local NGO, Wonder Grottole, revitalize the community. In exchange, the candidates will be offered free accommodation, up to €900 in expenses per month & given the opportunity to enroll in cultural classes.
Dying towns and villages across Italy have come up with a variety of novel solutions to avoid extinction. Some have offered empty houses for sale for just one euro (as you may remember in our article ___, including the hilltop towns of Gangi and Sambuca in Sicily, on condition that newcomers spend substantial sums restoring the properties.
The deadline for applications to this exciting opportunity will be on February 17th 2019.
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about how you can be paid to take An Italian Sabbatical! If you’re planning on applying, why not already have a head start with being able to communicate with your new potential home? Our culturally immersive group classes and native instructors can put you on the path to fluency faster than you may have every thought possible. Click below to learn more!