To rent: Italian castles, prisons
2012-12-19 17:54
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Rome - Cash-strapped Italy is putting historic properties
including castles, barracks and prisons on the market for long-term leases in a
bid to drum up funds and bring down public debt, officials said.
The list of hundreds of properties includes a mediaeval
castle in Soriano nel Cimino near Rome, an 18th century former
prison on the island of Procida in the Bay of Naples and three 19th
century barracks on the shores of Lake Garda.
"It is a good idea for us, a way of developing
tourism. A hotel here would be great!" Fabio Menicacci, the mayor of
Soriano nel Cimino, told AFP.
The price paid by the current leaseholder, the local town
council, for the turreted 13th century-castle is €36 000 a year, moat included.
The state property agency said it is offering 50-year
leases for residential or commercial use and is shelving plans for a large-scale
sale of historic homes because of the sharp drop in prices on the Italian
property market.
The agency, which has a portfolio of 46 420 properties
worth an estimated €55.6bn, has selected 350 properties and is drawing up a
list of 4 300 more which will be put on the rental market starting from January
2013.
"We will start renting or leasing them out
immediately," said Stefano Scalera, director of the agency. An official at
the agency said: "Given the state of the property market, leasing is seen
as one of the best options."
Laws to allow leasing of state properties have been in
place for years but only one lease has been granted so far - for Villa Tolomei
in Florence, which is being turned into a luxury hotel with a lease of €54
000 a year.
Property prices in Italy have plummeted by 30 or 40% this
year as the economy remains mired in recession and buyers have deserted
property auctions.
