Incredible Italian island is offering £12,700 for people to move there

Fancy starting a whole new life in a completely different country? Of course, you do - and now might be your chance because one beautiful Italian island is offering people cash to move to its rural towns and villages. 

The government of the island of Sardinia is offering grants of up to €15,000 (£12,700) to folks who want to move to the idyllic destination and create a new life for themselves. 

The government has ring-fenced a whopping £38million worth of cash for the scheme, which it hopes will bring new life to its rural areas with dwindling populations. 

But there is a bit of a catch - the cash given to newcomers is required to be used to buy or renovate a property and the amount of the grant cannot be more than half of the price of buying or renovating the home. Alongside that, the property must be situated in a town that has fewer than 3,000 inhabitants and you must register your residence in Sardinia within 18-months of your arrival, Travel Tomorrow reports.

Sean Pavone / Alamy Stock Photo

Lying to the west of Italy, Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean and has some stunning beaches and picturesque countryside. 

Sardinian President Christian Solinas said: "Thanks to the contributions to their first houses, this is strengthened and becomes fertile ground for those who will move there or decide to build a family.

"There can be no growth without a real enhancement of the territories, of the interior and most disadvantaged areas, which must pass through new policies for their repopulation."

This isn’t the first time the Italian government has attempted to entice new people to the country - last month it announced one-off allowances of €200 for seasonal and domestic workers in a move designed to help ease labour shortages. 

Alex Segre / Alamy Stock Photo

A statement issued by the European Commission said: "The DL 50/2022 law allows migrant workers to apply for the bonus, as long as they were residing in Italy before July 1 2022, and all income requirements are met."

And last year, numerous picturesque villages in the Calabria region of the country began encouraging people to move there by offering up €28,000 (£24,000) incentives.

Specifically, the government was hoping to attract those under 40, who were either keen to set up their own business or who worked in one of the professions required in that area. Right, I'm just off to dig out my passport.