Living in a castle in Italy isn’t reserved only for the super wealthy anymore.
If the main ingredients for all your fantasies are wine, cheese, never-ending carbs, and living in a castle in the Italian countryside, good news — you can haul your totally normal butt to the airport and request a ticket to the other side of the pond with haste, because ITALY IS GIVING AWAY FREE CASTLES, YOU GUYS. If you’ve been looking for a sign the universe wants you to live a more majestic life, this is it.
The Italian government has 103 historic castles and villas they’re trying to give away to people who are able to save them from becoming ruins. Essentially the blessed government of pasta and limoncello is asking YOU to adopt a castle and be a royal. If you’re opposed to this, you should probably take stock of your life and wonder if the child version of yourself would approve of your current mindset.
Prospective owners agree to renovate and maintain the buildings they’re assigned as well as the surrounding lands in an effort to spur tourism (and frankly, show the world of Instagram what living in a castle is like). The government suggests transforming the properties into hotels, bed and breakfasts, restaurants, spas, or rental properties. Imagine yourself living in a castle and then actually making a profit by renting some of the rooms out? Hashtag blessed.
The list of 103 properties also includes former convents, military towers, and schoolhouses with both waterfront and country vistas. If you’re feeling spiritual or city-slickerish, the Castello di Blera in Lazio sits on a cliff near Rome and offers all the best medieval everything. Get your chain mail pantaloons ready.
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If you’re serious about living in a castle, though, you’ll need to make a proposal outlining your plans for the site, so consider teaming up with your architect BFF and interior designer college roomie.
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