A Town In Italy Will Pay You £1,800 To Live There

If you're from the UK, chances are you spend a lot of time chirping on about how shit it is in the place you live. "Shithole, mate." "Fuck all to do here." "Can't wait to get off." They're all probably among the things you say as you long for a chance to pack your bags and head off somewhere else.

It's not until you fly the nest, maybe for university or work, that you realise: even if it is a shithole, it's your shithole. Therefore coming back is always precious.

That might not be the case though if you move to the Italian town of Candela, Puglia, however - according to the Metro, the mayor of the Italian town will pay you €2,000 (£1,801 / $2,355) to live there. Not bad, is it?

Credit: PA

It's not one of those things where you have to be an expert in a niche line of work, either, nor will you have to sell your soul to get there. It's just because the town's population is decreasing.

You wouldn't exactly describe it as 'thriving', nor a tourist hotspot, as you've most likely never heard of it. Around 2,000 people live there - a small figure compared to the 8,000-strong figre not so long ago when it was known as 'Little Naples'.

Mayor Nicola Gatta wants to rebuild that reputation, hence the offer to pay people to live there. The highest amount you can be paid is the previously mentioned £1,801, but that's only if you take four or five people to live with you. If you go alone or in a couple you'll get £714 ($942) or £1,071 ($1,413) respectively, whereas if you're in a trio you can get between £1,339 ($1,766) and £1,607 ($2,120).

Obviously you can't just show up there, blag you'll get a house and then bugger off. You have to legitimately rent a house and have a job with a salary of at least €7,500 (£6,700 / $8,830)a year, Metro reports.

Credit: PA

"We don't want people flocking here thinking they get to live off the town hall's revenues. All new residents must work and have an income," the mayor's assistant, Stefano Bascianelli, told CNN Travel. "Life quality rocks here. We haven't had one crime in 20 years."

Although there isn't a lot to do, it's very picturesque, so your Instagram will always be on point. Other plus points include minimal crowds and a much bigger chance of there being fewer knobheads, compared to British city centres.

Some people have already moved, so who's going to be next?

Topics: World News, UK News, Italy

Mark McGowan

Mark is a journalist at LADbible, who joined in 2015 after a year as a freelance writer. In the past he blogged for independent football fan channel Redmen TV, after graduating from Staffordshire University with degrees in journalism and English literature. He has worked on campaigns such as UOKM8? and IIOC.