This historic Sicilian house cost one euro. Go inside its transformation

In Italy, you can buy a house for one euro. You read that right – across the country, municipalities have launched schemes to address the issue of Italy’s surplus of beautiful, historic properties, which are often abandoned.

These buildings often require significant investment in restoration. As a result, they tend to attract buyers with a passion for cultural preservation, eager to honour the past while contributing something new to Italy’s timeless landscapes.

A compelling example lies in Sambuca, Sicily, where Palermo-based architecture studio Didea took on the transformation of an early-20th-century home. The structure, partially embedded within Sambuca’s town walls, was essentially a ruin, with collapsed floors and rising damp. Yet Didea saw promise in its bones, embarking on a complete reimagining in collaboration with AirBNB.

The studio exercised restraint in the home's redesign. Decorative excess is eschewed in favour of simplicity and precision. The result is a space that does not nostalgically recreate the past, but gently weaves in threads of local identity.

Modern, minimalist elements are introduced, standing in contrast to original features – vaulted ceilings, enfilade rooms and timber and mosaic floors. Mediterranean-style walls in warm, muted tones are set against bold colour blocks and sculptural shapes, creating a striking visual dialogue.

One of the most distinctive elements of the home is the set of staircases, made from perforated steel and rendered in bold red and green. These, along with translucent doors, allow natural light to flow through the space, contributing to a soft, airy and quintessentially Mediterranean ambiance.

Every aspect of the property, including the furnishings, was custom-designed in what Didea describes as an ‘architectural tailoring process’. The result is a cohesive and refined interior, where nothing feels accidental and everything serves a purpose.

The home’s material palette – lime plaster, raw earth, and other breathable, natural components – supports thermal comfort and, by extension, energy efficiency. In this way, sustainability is built into the home, rather than being an overt proclamation. Plus, adds Didea co-founder Nicola Andò, ‘restoring what already exists is, in itself, an act of sustainability’.

The Sambuca project demonstrates how thoughtful design can breathe new life into heritage, standing as a culturally-sensitive case study for how Italy’s underutilised building stock might be revitalised. It gives this space a second life – allowing it, as Andò puts it, to ‘speak again through the experience of dwelling’.