Italian town pays visitors to stay

The town of Santa Fiora is located in the heart of Tuscany, nestled in the Monte Amiata nature reserve, near the Val D'Orcia valley - known as the wine paradise of Montepulciano and Siena.

The medieval town has about 2,500 residents, and Mayor Federico Balocchi believes technology and remote work could open up a new future for Santa Fiora.

Mayor Balocchi has decided on a new strategy to attract visitors from all over the world. Those who come here to work remotely during the pandemic will be paid 200 euros or 50% of their monthly rent.

The condition is that you must stay here for a period of 2 to 6 months. Normally, the rent in the town will fluctuate between 300-500 EUR/month, meaning that anyone moving here for that period will only need to pay as little as 100 EUR per month for rent.

The local town hall also launched a website calledVivi in ​​paeseto show visitors about houses to rent. It could be a cozy little stone house in the historic center of town...

...or a small villa set on the surrounding green hills.

In addition, the website also provides useful information for visitors' 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 coming here will feel a peaceful space, away from the dust and noise of the city.

However, Mayor Balocchi also said that those who come to rent here must prove that they are actually working remotely in Santa Fiora, regardless of their profession. "We are not targeting tourists who come and go occasionally, but people who really 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," Mr. Balocchi said.

To accommodate visitors working remotely, the town has installed high-speed fiber optic internet in its alleyway cafes and Renaissance palaces.

The village is surrounded by majestic nature, where visitors can go horse riding, cycling or hiking along the mountain trails. Mayor Balocchi assured that the town’s tourist office will assist visitors with all procedures and paperwork. Santa Fiora is always open to visitors who want to stay longer than 6 months. Or if anyone wants to invest in the local tourism sector, the town is willing to pay 30,000 EUR for them to open a guesthouse, or to renovate an old house into a hotel or hostel. Even anyone who decides to register as an immigrant and give birth here will receive a bonus of up to 1,500 EUR.

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