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The majority of the population purchasing affordable property in Italy is attracted simply by the fantasy of paying a discount price for the opportunity to move to a hot spot with more food.
But what if it could also help you live longer?
That was the thought in the mind of Bingwa Thomas, a 72-year-old Kansas Town native who bought a used living in Latronico in the southern Basilicata area of Italy, hoping the lifestyle change would take him much further than the months-long anticipation. . Its demographic in America. In fact, price was also a factor.
Thomas, who recently moved to Los Angeles, decided to buy a 110-square-meter house that was close to what he could afford, negotiating the price at 8,000 euros (about $8,662).
Passionate about social activism since the age of 18, Thomas was also excited by the once Italian city’s proximity to Africa, where he says he is in favor of humanitarian backup initiatives.
“My main reason for setting up residence in southern Italy was to have better access to the African continent,” he says. “To be able to use my pension to create, fund, network and volunteer programs on the African continent.”
“I wanted a house that wouldn’t cost me a lot to make livable, so I could have more money for African projects.”
Thomas, who self-finances his activism work through acting gigs including commercials, commercial films, and voice-over work, was also once attracted to Patch’s healthy, slow-paced lifestyle, hoping it would lead to his Can help in taking life forward. Expectation of the month.
“Life expectancy in Italy is 82.7 years, while in the US it is 79 years,” he says. If truth be told, the International Condition Group believes that the US date determination is closer to 77. “But for a black male it’s 70. So in America I am already two years past my expiration date. But in Italy I can get 10 extra years.”
Thomas’ motivation for relocating to Italy appears to be part of a shift in the latest factors causing the population to buy into the country’s sale of affordable homes, which began a few years ago as depopulated and dying cities took the brand by storm. Had tried to attract. Population to celebrate the new month in their communities.
Initially, according to mayors promoting the plans, most patrons were foreign families and retired couples hoping to purchase an entertainment venue.
This seems to have changed over the years and artists, philanthropists and social workers are now considering an exit.
Latronico is undoubtedly one of the cities that is basically enticing American patrons with suitable properties and leases. CNN Journeys first wrote about Latronico’s regional sales in 2021, and the destination has garnered a lot of attention since then.
The homes it promotes include turnkey homes priced under 10,000 euros (about $10,800) and homes that are crumbling in the absence of intensive renovation.
According to Thomas, their procurement process was seamless, and the biggest challenge was due to travel restrictions associated with the pandemic.
He was pleased that when the man behind the housing scheme, former deputy mayor Vincenzo Castellano, called to investigate, he answered the phone and supported him throughout the takeover, and mentioned that it had played a role in his career. Making resolutions.
Thomas, who has been visiting Italy every few months since purchasing the home, has budgeted about 20,000 euros (about $21,656) for furniture and home appliances as well as renovation works.
He says he hopes to help build up the people of Latronico in the future by developing an arts center on the field floor in their area.
He says, “Artists have always taken over abandoned buildings in an undesirable area of the city and revitalized buildings and neighborhoods, but newly revitalized buildings have been torn down or torn down by greedy landlords. The fares have been increased,” he says.
“In those little neat villages in the EU, artists don’t have to rent, they can actually be able to have their own living space and studio.
“The villages are repopulated and the creative energy of the artists is not exhausted.”
The area’s use of latrónico has declined since the 1850s, when families began to leave the area in search of a brighter generation elsewhere, leaving behind dozens of empty houses and quiet streets.
Recently, due to the sale of cheap houses, there is a new buzz in the area as 4,000 or more citizens of Latronaico are ready to live with beginners, originally from the US but from all over the world.
For Thomas, the month at Latronico coincides with his inventive philosophy.
“As an artist, I love the challenge of taking forgotten, underappreciated or discarded objects and repurposing them,” he says.
“What I love most about Letronico is, first of all, the dedication and attention to detail in the effort to stop the bleeding, revive and revitalize this beautiful city.”
Artists have often played a role in revitalizing communities through their creativity and Thomas hopes to become another example of this once his art center is operational and by contributing to the local village through cultural and creative initiatives.
He says he recognizes Latronico’s revitalization efforts, explaining that he has attempted to do the same in various communities across the US for the past 50 years, including Latronico, which owns far more property than the local government has available. Is.
Thomas has enjoyed living outside the US, traveling around the world throughout the years and working “unusual jobs” throughout Europe.
He says, “My usual path during this period was to work on the Greek island of Ios in the summer, then fly up to Ireland or the UK to cut and sell Christmas trees or work in pubs.”
“In the spring, I would always be in Amsterdam, where you were legally allowed to work in youth hostels in exchange for a bed, two meals, laundry, and Internet access for two months.”
Thomas says he frequently goes to Berlin’s multicultural Kreuzberg district to paint in preparation for the annual Carnival of Culture, which celebrates cultural diversity within the city.
He then headed back to the Greek islands to start the cycle all over again.
Latronico’s date of the month would probably seem tame compared to Thomas’ former lifestyle, though he says that’s what he likes about it.
He says, “Living in Italy gives me another thing that is important to me and should be the most important thing for any living being – literally life.”
Thomas exercises daily, goes for long runs in the picturesque wooded hills of Latronico and says he is enjoying his new surroundings even before he has fully settled in.
The house, purchased by Thomas in 2022, is spread over two levels, each 55 square meters wide, with the main floor already habitable.
He’s completing most of the renovation work himself, using local companies to help with things like plumbing, while his friends in Italy are handling the electrics.
He plans to install a restroom on the field floor and repair the used stove and wood-burning oven.
“The upstairs, it will remain basically the same, it has served well as a living space for me over the years,” he says.
“The only changes would be to move the bathroom to the back of the unit and make minor improvements to the plumbing, ventilation and electrical.”
Field flooring, which in the past served as animal shelters, can be leveled up by adding electrical outlets, in conjunction with bathrooms, sinks and showers.
Thomas says he hopes to contribute to the improvement of the people of Latrona through the use of the description to create new products and services and inspire alternative artists to move out of the city.
He says he does not plan to live in the house and has offered to donate it to a non-profit, bicycle cooperative in Los Angeles, with the condition that they use it to provide similar products and services to those offered in the US. Will do for. Remote instructions on tips regarding motorcycle repair and safety.
He is in the process of buying a second extension for 39,000 euros (about $45,727) – a six-bedroom “complex” of 3 other rural cottages in Varrazzo, with a land area about 5 miles from Latronaico, where he The place where he will live.
Thomas hopes it will become the second “move-in-ready” home in a multi-purpose arts complex that will house early life and adult artists from around the world.
He says the affordable space prices in Latronico have allowed him to turn his back on a lifetime of renting.
“I always have to choose between buying property or investing in projects for the community,” he says. “At Latronico, I can do both.”
In the month he says he loves Latronico, Thomas discovers that in a remote rural village in southern Italy the month is not always as pleasant as it seems.
He says the main disadvantages relate to the city’s empty space as well as the infrastructure and shipping systems in the south, which are definitely missing compared to the north of Italy.
Thomas is still trying to “adjust to not having access to everything I want or need 18 to 24 hours a day.”
He is in the process of moving out of his Los Angeles rental and hopes to officially move to Latronico in September. He says his client visa will allow him to spend the next six months in Italy.
Having set up in Latronico in September, Thomas says he plans to develop the town as a semi-permanent residence as well as a base for commuting to and from Africa, where he lives far away. -Planning to volunteer on projects in remote villages. Cameroon and Senegal.
“It would be much easier to go back and forth from Africa to southern Italy than from Africa to Los Angeles.”