‘There’s really no catch’: How this Aussie bought an Italian home for $1.50

This Australian bought a home in the Italian countryside for just $1.50. Now he’s shared how he did it, what’s the catch, and how other Aussies can too.

With the Australian property market nearly impossible to crack for most first-time buyers, the idea of snagging any home - let alone a classic Italian casa - for just $1.50 seems too good to be true.

That’s certainly what Danny McCubbin, who is originally from the Gold Coast, thought when he was looking to ditch his successful corporate career in London for the slower pace of Italian country living.

“I was looking for - after London - somewhere remote, somewhere quiet, somewhere tranquil,” he told news.com.au podcast I’ve Got News For You. “And so I fell in love with this town.”

“This town” is Mr McCubbin’s new home of Mussomeli, Sicily, a town of about 10,000 people high in the hills of southern Italy.

Danny McCubbin standing at the front door of his 1 Euro home in Mussomeli, Sicily. Picture: Danny McCubbin/Instagram/YouTube

It is one of several towns in the region that joined Italy’s one Euro home scheme, where houses are sold for the equivalent of about $1.50 in the hope of attracting new residents to revive abandoned communities and protect their heritage.

“This is my home now, I’m absolutely settled and absolutely can’t see myself moving,” Mr McCubbin told host Andrew Bucklow.

He said it was always his dream to move to Italy, and the scheme seemed like the ideal way to make it happen.

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Mr McCubbin bought his home in 2019 for $1.50 — plus a relatively measly 3000 euros in notary and inspection fees — on one condition.

“There was a requirement that you needed to renovate the house within three years. Or then you ended up paying 5000 euros to the municipality,” he said.

His renovation plans, though, were thrown for a loop when the Covid pandemic brought Italy to a standstill and forced his home to stand vacant “for over a year”. By the time he found a builder and with one year to complete the “really challenging” renovation, it was cheaper to find another place.

“I ended up buying myself a house for 8000 euros, which is less than the cost of my car. And I spent 5000 on it and renovated that,” he said. “That’s where I live now. It’s a beautiful place, it’s got a view of the mountains, it’s just perfect for me.

“I’ve also launched my project, The Good Kitchen, in the town square in an old abandoned shop.

“So I really didn’t need that house anymore; however it was the catalyst that brought me here. It helped me get my residency - because I needed to have a base when I applied for my Italian residency.

“So you know, I lost 3000 euros for the paperwork. But in the long run, that’s a small amount to pay for the life that I have here now.”

Mr McCubbin traded the “hustle and bustle” of London — where he spent years working with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver developing community food projects — to give back to the community through The Good Kitchen.

“When I moved here, I always wanted to set up a project that will have value for the people of the town, to give back to the town,” he said.

“In Mussomeli, knowing that the economy is not so great here and there is a lot of poverty, I came up with this idea to set up a kitchen where we would get all the food that would be close to use by date and start cooking for vulnerable people in the town.”

Danny McCubbin's 1 euro house in Mussomeli, Sicily. Picture: YouTube

Now, his project delivers 100 meals a week to struggling families, those in Covid isolation, and elderly people. It also runs cooking classes for kids, and has most recently helped resettle Ukrainian families who have fled the Russian invasion.

Mr McCubbin wants to encourage other Australians to take the leap of faith he did and buy their very own $1.50 home. His best tips: spend time in the city where you plan to buy, see as many houses as you can, bring a friend who knows a bit about engineering, and don’t fall for the view.

“Many people have come here and bought houses with amazing views. But then they discovered that their street is abandoned. So it’s really important for your lifestyle as well to be part of the community where you feel you have good neighbours like in Australia,” he said.

“I’m really passionate about becoming part of the town, not just as a visitor and staying for a while and then going.

“I just absolutely love it... it’s a dream come true.”