[jandrese]

There's usually a catch to these effectively free real estate deals. Like the home is a registered historic site so you're on the hook for tens or hundreds of thousands in maintenance that all has to be approved by some council of greybeards who won't accept anything that isn't made in exactly the same way it was 500 years ago. "These replacement stones were worked with power tools, they've lost their authenticity!"

By the way the land is on a consecrated ancient battlefield/holy site, so you can't put a shovel in it without a full archeological review.

[MrFoof]

The most common catches I'm aware of (doing some research) are:

* Some towns have a requirement that you start a small business to qualify.

* In some towns the houses are auctioned with a starting bid of one Euro. The nicest ones will get bid up a fair bit, but a lot of them close for one to five thousand euro. The nicest ones (minimal renovation required) can close for up to twenty-five thousand euros.

* Often a refundable deposit of two to five thousand euros is required, with the catch that you start moving in or renovating within a year and complete moving in and/or renovating within three years.

* The houses are often long abandoned. Renovation costs are going to be what they are -- significant -- so you best be handy, as you can cut your renovation costs by 80-90% if you eliminate labor costs. Regardless, your renovations will need to be approved.

* Tax contracts and real estate closing costs, which will typically be a few (as in, around 2 to 3) thousand euros.

[jacquesm]

Or where they will require that certain companies or people are doing the work because that's the only way they will be satisfied. Never mind that these are overpriced, deliver crap work or both, you won't get a permit in any other way. The best outcome is you pay them to stay away.

This happens in other places as well (Portugal, Spain).

[obmelvin]

This is a very valid point. As someone with an Italian step-dad who's dealt with property in Italy, I can say that dealing with permits etc in Italy is really not easy. Things really do work their own, Italian, way. It's not the same as real estate in the US, even if you are comparing historic regulations here to there.

Guess I don't really have a point to this comment, other than to say this parent comment might sound like an extreme exaggeration but AFAIK it isn't.

edit: looks like jacquesm has made a similar point