Italy's ongoing clearance sale of €1 houses has been ideal for people seeking to start a new life in some of the country's far-flung corners. For those looking for something a bit closer to the action -- nearer Rome, to be precise -- it's been slim pickings. Until now. This month, the bucolic town of Maenza has become the first in Rome's Latium region to begin selling homes for just over a dollar.

The historic location, high up on the wild Lepini hills south of the capital, where shepherds and fiery tribes once lived, is making available dozens of abandoned stone dwellings in the hope of attracting new occupants. Mayor Claudio Sperduti says he's launching an ambitious "pact for the rebirth" of his hometown with the aim of breathing new life into its quiet alleys.