Italian town pays for guests to stay.

The town of Santa Fiora is located in the heart of Tuscany, nestled within the Monte Amiata nature reserve, near the Val D'Orcia valley – a region renowned for its Montepulciano and Siena wines.

This medieval town currently has approximately 2,500 residents. Therefore, Mayor Federico Balocchi believes that technology and the trend of remote work can open up a new future for Santa Fiora.

Mayor Balocchi decided to implement a new strategy to attract visitors from afar. Those who came to work remotely during the pandemic were paid 200 EUR or received a 50% rent subsidy each month.

The condition is that you must stay here for a period of 2 to 6 months. Typically, rent in town ranges from 300-500 EUR/month, meaning anyone moving here for that period will only need to pay a minimum of 100 EUR per month in rent.

The local town hall also launched a website calledVivi in ​​peseTo introduce visitors to houses available for rent. It could be a cozy little stone house in the historic center of town...

...or a small villa nestled among the lush green hills.

In addition, the website also provides useful information for tourists' daily lives, such as contact numbers for plumbers, babysitters, doctors, electricians, food delivery services, etc.

Santa Fiora has a very slow pace of life; visitors will experience a peaceful atmosphere, far away from the smog and noise of the city.

However, Mayor Balocchi also stated that those renting homes there must prove they genuinely work remotely in Santa Fiora in any profession. "We're not targeting tourists who come and go occasionally, but rather people who genuinely want to experience rural life. The goal is to encourage people to move here and work remotely. We want Santa Fiora to be their mobile office," Balocchi said.

To facilitate remote work for tourists, the town has recently installed high-speed fiber optic internet in small alleyway cafes and Renaissance-era palaces.

The village is surrounded by majestic nature, where visitors can ride horses, cycle, or hike along mountain trails. Mayor Balocchi assures visitors that the town's tourism office will assist with all necessary procedures and paperwork. Santa Fiora always welcomes visitors who wish to stay longer than six months. Alternatively, if anyone wants to invest in the local tourism sector, the town is willing to provide €30,000 to open a guesthouse or renovate an old house into a hotel or hostel. Furthermore, anyone who decides to register for immigration and have children here will receive a bonus of up to €1,500.

Huyen Chau