‘La Dolce Villa’: Can You Really Buy Houses in Italy for One Euro?

Netflix’s latest rom-com is here in the form of “La Dolce Villa,” and like any story, plays into the fantasy of some viewers. But there’s one element that’s actually very real and possible — buying a home in Italy for next to nothing.

Now streaming, the movie centers on Eric Field (Scott Foley), a dad who rushes to Italy after his daughter Olivia (Maia Reficco) informs him that she’s purchasing a villa for one euro, as part of an initiative to help bring new residents to town. And while that may seem like a fun story concocted for screen, it’s actually a real initiative that people can take advantage of.

The program has been running for a few years and following the 2024 election, the Italian village Ollolai started offering homes for one euro to those who might want to exit the country due to Donald Trump. In fact, there are several cities in Italy that offer homes for one euro.

But, like Olivia discovers in the movie, there are definitely other fees that come along with the deal. In fact, according to director Mark Waters, this element of the story was one that his team researched “extensively” to get right.

“There was a lot of kind of vetting of the script by legal people, and by actual Italians reading and going ‘This the way that it actually would be handled in Italy, or actually in this region, in this commune,’” Waters explained to TheWrap.

“So we were very, very specific that it had to feel real like that. And then, obviously, it was a bit of a fudge in the screenplay, where we wanted to make it seem like the chain of title wasn’t clear, and that it wasn’t officially on the registry.”

The director noted that perfecting the language of where the title of the house actually fell required “so many rewrites” to ensure specificity. But the glamor of the idea, mixed with the actual hardships that can come with it, was a big draw for the type of film they were making.

“It can be a real quagmire, trying to get the permits, get the materials, get the work done, you know?” he said. “And that’s why Scott’s character goes over there, knowing that this thing could be the worst money pit of all time, [but] ends up working out miraculously, because it’s a rom-com!”

“La Dolce Villa” is now streaming on Netflix.