The Covid-19 pandemic may have irreversibly changed the world as we know it, but it seems there are some things that can still be counted on. And struggling towns in Italy selling off abandoned homes at bargain prices in a bid to reverse a trend of depopulation is undoubtedly one of them.

The picturesque town of Salemi in Sicily is the latest to offer up dilapidated properties for less than the cost of an espresso. Over the next month, a few dozen crumbling dwellings will go up for auction with a starting price of €1, or little over a dollar.