Do you want to live for free in a magnificent Italian villa? It may sound too good to be true, but it could be your reality if you apply to live in Airbnb’s $1 house in Sicily. The vacation rental site you turn to for your weekend getaways and out-of-town outings is now offering this unique opportunity for one lucky winner to live in southern Italy for a year rent-free. .
If your job allows you to work from home, you could be one of the many people currently living anywhere in the world. Thanks to Airbnb’s new post, your potential WFH destinations now include an adorable villa on the scenic Mediterranean country. the 1 Euro House hosted by Airbnb will allow you to move to Sicily for a year to live in your own redesigned European townhouse. The problem? While you’re there, you’ll also become an Airbnb host of a private room in the Sicilian house. However, if you enjoy meeting new people and would like to learn to speak Italian, this could make this opportunity even more appealing.
The Sicilian Airbnb initiative aims to entice people to visit and settle in the growing international community of Sambuca, located southwest of Palermo. If you are selected, you will live in Sambuca for at least three months starting June 30. After these three months, you can then become the Airbnb host of one of the private rooms of the townhouse where you will be. stay for the rest of the nine months of the year.
How to Apply for Airbnb’s Sicily Villa Opening
Anyone 18 years and older can apply to become a host of Airbnb’s 1 euro villa in Sambuca, but you must also be able to speak conversational English. However, don’t worry if you don’t speak Italian. You will have the opportunity to learn the language during your stay. Basically, you just have to be as prepared as Emily was in the first season of Emilie in Paris — aka you don’t need to know anything. The selected Airbnb host will also need to have a valid passport until December 30, 2022, as you will start the program in Sambuca on June 30, 2022.
Since you won’t be flying to Italy until summer 2022, you’ll also want to keep an eye out for any changes to travel restrictions and health guidelines. Keep in mind that at this time the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that only those who are fully vaccinated should travel abroad, and make sure you know the local rules before you go.
In addition to these requirements, you will need to complete an application for the 1 euro house, which is open until February 18, including a short trial. This is your chance to really explain how moving to Sicily will help you live your best life and how you see yourself as an Airbnb host. An interest in hospitality is also a plus. In the application, you can also indicate who will accompany you during your trip. You can bring an extra friend or partner with a maximum of two adults and two children in total.
What Airbnb’s Sicilian Villa experience will be like
The village of Sambuca, where you will be staying, is quite small, but was named “the most beautiful Italian village” in 2016. While you are there, you might even feel like you are in a Disney movie which takes place in southern Italy where there is everything from grape harvesting to olive picking. The townhouse is even located in the heart of the village.
Formerly a historic villa, the three-storey house has also been completely renovated just for your stay with a living room and a master bedroom with its own bathroom on the ground floor. On the first floor, you will find a second living room, the kitchen, a work space, a bathroom and a mezzanine bedroom. The top floor is where there is an additional room with a sofa bed. Since this will be your home away from home, you can choose which room will be yours. The rest will be the room you rent to guests from all over the world.
Although you are expected to be an Airbnb host for the last nine months of your stay, when you first arrive in Sicily you will be placed in a free mentorship program to help you become the best possible host. The hospitality program will include a month-long Italian language course and four cooking classes taught by a local. Of course, during this time you can also continue to do your WFH work. While Airbnb will cover the cost of airfare to Sambuca and transportation home once you arrive, you will be responsible for all living expenses and applicable taxes.
When you are not busy with your accommodation duties or visiting the local village, you will have the opportunity to explore other places in Italy like the nearby city of Palermo or the rest of Sicily. You’ll even be close enough to some of the filming locations for Harry Style’s “Golden” music video if you want to do a weekend getaway. It’s a bit further, but you can also travel to Rome to finally recreate your favorite scenes from The Lizzie McGuire movie. That’s what dreams are made of, after all.
Just think about how much money you’ll save by not worrying about rent for an entire year, and all the opportunities that will come with that. If living in southern Italy for a year to learn the Italian language and Italian cuisine, meet new people and experience life in a Sicilian community – all for free – sounds like the offer of a lifetime, don’t don’t sleep applying before Airbnb’s February 18 deadline.
The CDC recommends traveling only after being fully vaccinated and your vaccine has become fully effective. If you are not fully vaccinated and need to travel, check CDC guidelines before booking. Check your destination vaccination and screening requirements before your departure.
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