The majority of people who buy cheap houses in Italy simply want to get away to a warmer place with better food at a cheap price.
Be that as it may, imagine a scenario in which it could likewise assist you with living longer.
Bingwa Thomas, 72, originally from Kansas City, bought an old house in Latronico, deep in the southern Basilicata region of Italy, in the hope that the new way of life would make him live much longer than his peers in his demographic in the United States. Obviously, cost was likewise a variable.
After negotiating the price down to 8,000 euros (approximately $8,662), Thomas, who is currently based in Los Angeles, made the decision to purchase a 110-square-meter home primarily due to its affordability.
Thomas, who has been involved in social activism ever since he was 18 years old, was also intrigued by the Italian town's proximity to Africa, where he claims to be involved in humanitarian aid projects.
According to him, "My primary reason for establishing a residence in southern Italy was to have better access to the African continent." to be able to use my pension to develop, fund, network, and volunteer for African programs."
"I wanted a residence that I wouldn't have to spend a lot of money to make habitable so I could have more money for the projects in Africa,"
Thomas, who self-funds his activism work by acting in commercials, industrial films, and voice-over work, was also drawn to the area by its healthier, slower-paced lifestyle in the hope that it would help him live longer.
He states, "Life expectancy in Italy is 82.7 years, whereas it is 79 in the US." In fact, that US age figure is closer to 77, according to the World Health Organization. However, it is 70 for a Black male. Therefore, I am already two years past my expiration date in the United States. In contrast, I can get ten more years in Italy.
Thomas' decision to move to Italy appears to be part of a shift away from the original reasons people were buying into the country's cheap home selloff, which started a few years ago as depopulated and dying towns tried to attract new people to give their communities new life. Thomas' move to Italy appears to be part of this shift.
According to the mayors promoting the schemes, the majority of buyers were foreign families and retired couples looking to purchase a vacation home at first.
This seems to have changed after some time with specialists, altruists and social activists currently hoping to take the action.
One of the towns that has been attracting primarily American buyers with cheap houses and rentals is Latronico.
Turnkey homes priced as low as 10,000 euros (around $10,800) and crumbling properties that require extensive renovations are among the properties up for sale.
Thomas said that the process of buying a house went smoothly, and the only problems he had were mostly caused by travel restrictions caused by the pandemic.
He said that the fact that the housing scheme's creator, former deputy mayor Vincenzo Castellano, answered his call and stood by him throughout the entire purchase helped him make his decision. He was overjoyed about this.
Thomas, who has been heading out to Italy at regular intervals since buying the home, has planned around 20,000 euros (around $21,656) for the remodel work - alongside decorations and machines.
He says he wants to build an arts center on the ground floor of his house in the future to help grow Latronico's community.
According to him, "artists have always taken over abandoned buildings in an undesirable area of a city and brought the buildings and neighborhoods back to life" only to have the newly revitalized buildings taken away or their rents raised by avaricious landlords.
“Artists can actually own their living spaces and studios in these neat little European villages. They don't have to pay rent.
"The artists don't lose their creative energy, and the villages repopulate."
Since families began to leave the area in search of a brighter future elsewhere in the 1850s, Latronico's old district has been in decline, leaving behind dozens of vacant homes and silent alleys.
Today, Latronico's 4,000 or so residents are adjusting to living alongside newcomers primarily from the United States, but from all over the world, thanks to the sale of cheap homes.
Thomas sees Latronico as an extension of his artistic philosophy.
He states, "As an artist, I love the challenge of repurposing forgotten, under-appreciated, or discarded items."
"What I love most about Latronico is the devotion and scrupulousness in the endeavor to first, stop the dying, revive and resurrect this delightful town."
Through their creativity, artists have frequently contributed to the revitalization of communities. Thomas hopes to be another example of this by contributing to village life through cultural and artistic projects once his arts center is operational.
He says that he admires the revival efforts in Latronico and that he has tried to do the same in various communities in the United States for 50 years, using a lot more resources than the Latronico authorities do.
Thomas has lived outside of the United States, having worked "odd jobs" in Europe and traveling the world.
He explains, "My usual route during this period was working in the summer on the Greek island of Ios, then up to Ireland or the UK to harvest and sell Christmas trees or work in a pub."
"In the spring, I would always end up in Amsterdam, where you could legally work in youth hostels for two months in exchange for a bed, two meals, laundry, and internet access."
Thomas says he'd frequently head toward Berlin's multicultural Kreuzberg area to deal with the arrangement of the yearly Fair of Societies, which celebrates social variety in the city.
Then, at that point, he'd catch a ride down to the Greek isles to begin the cycle all once more.
Latronico's speed of life might appear to be calm when contrasted with Thomas' previous way of life, yet he says that is what he enjoys regarding it.
He states, "Living in Italy gives me more of the one thing that is important to me and should be the number one thing of importance to any living being – literally life." This is the one thing that is important to him.
Thomas says he has been enjoying his new surroundings even before he has fully settled in. He exercises every day by going on long runs up the panoramic wild hills of Latronico.
The home Thomas bought in 2022 is spread north of two levels, each estimating 55 square-meters wide, with the highest level currently tenable.
While his friends in Italy are in charge of the electrical work, he is doing most of the renovation work himself and enlisting the assistance of local businesses for tasks like plumbing.
He intends to restore the previous fireplace and wood-burning oven and install a bathroom on the ground floor.
"Higher up, it will fundamentally remain something very similar, it has worked well as a living space for me the recent years," he says.
"The only changes will be to move the bathroom to the back of the unit and make minor changes to the electrical, ventilation, and plumbing."
Electrical outlets, as well as a toilet, sink, and shower, will be added to the ground floor, which was previously used as an animal shelter.
By using the property to create new services and encourage other artists to move to Latronico, Thomas says he wants to help the community grow.
He claims that he will not be living there, and he has offered to donate the house to a nonprofit bicycle co-op in Los Angeles if it can be used to provide the same services as those in the United States, such as free instructions on how to fix and maintain bicycles.
He's currently purchasing a second property for 39,000 euros (about $45,727) - a six-room "compound" of three unique country bungalows in Varrazzo, a villa around five miles beyond Latronico, with a fix of land, which is where he'll dwell.
Thomas intends to turn the second "move-in ready" house into a multi-purpose arts complex that will accommodate visiting adult and youth artists from around the world.
He claims that the low cost of housing in Latronico has allowed him to stop renting for life.
He continues, "I have always had to choose between investing in community projects or buying property." I can do both in Latronico."
Thomas has discovered that life in a remote rural village in southern Italy is not always as idyllic as it seems, despite the fact that he claims to love Latronico.
He says that the town's isolated location and the south's lack of infrastructure and transportation in comparison to Italy's north are the main drawbacks.
“Adjust to not having access to just about anything I want or need 18 to 24 hours a day,” Thomas continues to struggle.
He is currently packing up his apartment in Los Angeles and intends to move into Latronico in September. He claims that he will be able to spend six months of the year in Italy thanks to his visitor visa.
Thomas says he plans to use Latronico as a semi-permanent home and a base for traveling to and from Africa, where he plans to volunteer in remote villages in Cameroon and Senegal. He plans to establish himself in Latronico in September.
Going from Africa to southern Italy will be much simpler than going from Africa to Los Angeles.