Love is in the air in February, and people will undoubtedly be interested in streaming romance movies with a Netflix subscription. La Dolce Villa is a great new option readers will find on their account, and it has an interesting premise. I was sucked in by a father traveling to Italy to stop his daughter from buying a "One Euro House," and I was surprised to learn the truth about the very real program.
Only time will tell if this new release ends up being one of the best rom-coms of all time. I did a bit of digging and learned that people can live out their own La Dolce Villa fantasy, though there are some things they should know the Netflix original doesn't completely cover. Who knows? Maybe someone reading will pursue it and get their premise for an upcoming Netflix movie.
Italy's "One Euro House" Program Is Legit, But As La Dolce Villa Pointed Out, There Is A Catch
Italy has a "One Euro House" program, but there is a catch. This was highlighted in La Dolce Villa when Eric's daughter Olivia had to put down a €5,000 deposit, and a plan had to be in place for renovations. While Olivia was lucky and found a house that had only been vacant for a year, Independent reported that most homes in this program are dilapidated and seriously need repair. Buyers are expected to repair these homes, and the costs of bringing them back up to code can range in the ballpark of €20,000–50,000.
So no, it's not quite "One Euro," but it is considerably cheaper to buy and renovate than most houses in the United States. That said, La Dolce Villa might've misrepresented how easy it is to make this happen, as the costs of buying one of these homes require a pretty bulky savings account to prepare for all the additional costs of renovation and various fees. Fortunately, Eric had those savings to help foot the bill for extra expenses, or his daughter's plans would've gone up in smoke.
Why Italy Started Selling Houses For So Cheap
Living in the Italian countryside and chowing down on pasta and gaining weight sounds like a dream for many, so why exactly are these houses going for so cheap? Coincidentally enough, La Dolce Villa touches on this but doesn't exactly highlight it as much as the housing program.
Olivia gets an opportunity to do an apprenticeship in Rome, and it's a great offer. Similarly, the younger adults of Italy are finding the bigger cities offer far more growth opportunities. Venice isn't just the setting for one of the best heist movies ever. It's a city of opportunity. Sure, the Italian countryside is beautiful and has small-town charm, but one might understand how those raised there might want to spread their wings and move elsewhere.
Rather than modernize and try to entice their younger generations to stay, these Italian villages would sooner see outsiders come in and renovate these aging cities and breathe new life into them while maintaining their classic aesthetic and charm. The downside is they may have to share the city with wealthy foreigners who watched The Godfather in 4K one too many times. It's certainly a trade-off, but it's still one that feels enticing after watching La Dolce Villa.
La Dolce Villa is available to stream on Netflix, along with other recent additions that aren't performing well with critics. I think the latest offering is pretty good for what it is, and if nothing else, it made me briefly romanticize a life pursuing affordable housing in the Italian countryside.
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