'I bought a £1 house in Italy but there was a catch when I arrived'
'I bought a £1 house in Italy but there was a huge catch when I arrived at the property'
A woman bought a four-bedroom house for just £1 in Italy - but there was a huge catch about the property when she arrived in Sicily
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Add us as preferred source Comments By Robin Cottle 15:38, Wed, Jul 1, 2026 Updated: 15:38, Wed, Jul 1, 2026 
A woman purchased a four-bedroom property for less than £1 in Italy - but discovered there was a significant catch when she arrived at the residence.
Numerous Italian towns have adopted the €1 home initiative to attempt to attract people to relocate there.
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One location participating in the scheme is Sambuca di Sicilia, which has been described as one of the most stunning villages in Italy.
The initiative involves struggling, declining towns offering their derelict or vacant properties for sale to encourage external investment and fresh inhabitants.
Meredith Tabbone, from Chicago, Illinois, USA, was amongst those interested individuals seeking to embrace la dolce vita, reports the Daily Mirror.
She had a personal motivation for relocating to the region though. It was the same village that her great-grandfather departed in 1902 to travel to the United States.
Meredith ultimately secured the bid for the €1, but it ended up costing her considerably more than that.
She established a refurbishment budget of $40,000 (£30,200), but she ultimately spent an eye-watering $446,000 (£336,800) to transform her dream property into a reality.
Speaking to CNBC Make It, Meredith said: "The condition of this property when I first purchased it was dire at best.
"There was no electricity. There was no running water. Every single room had a different level of floor. There was asbestos. And there was probably two feet of pigeon poop on the floor.
"A few major renovations that stuck out are: levelling all the floors. The home is two storeys and 18 rooms, and every single one was a different height.
"Also adding electricity and water, adding a lot more windows to really brighten the space. Creating more continuity throughout the house to create a more American sort of home."
The entire renovation required approximately three and a half years, with Meredith explaining that the extended timeframe meant she avoided dipping into her savings as bills were more staggered.
The expat still hopes to construct a wardrobe and a wine cellar but regards her property as "technically" complete.
She reveals that if she were to begin the purchasing or renovation journey again, the single piece of guidance she would offer herself is to exercise greater patience at the outset.
Despite the substantial expense of the project, Meredith maintains she believes it is the perfect place for her - and insists she will "never sell this house".
She added: "I want to spend four months a year here. I want to spend more time away from work and complete my goal of travelling to every country in the world and focus more on my personal life in general.
"I will never sell this house. I've had many offers. I have a cousin, I've already told her she can have the house if I pass away before her. And after that it's going to be donated to the village.
"I think there's a real sense of community here. I definitely think people are very happy here. If you like to be social and you like to be a part of community this is the place to be. This is an easier place to do that than it is in a lot of areas of the United States."
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
