Mother of three who bought three historic fixers as part of ‘one euro’ plan completes first house

A woman who bought three houses in Italy for just one euro each four years ago has finally completed one of her projects.

Rubia Daniels, 49, a solar consultant and business owner, flew to Mussomeli, Sicily, within days of learning about the ‘one euro house’ scheme in 2019 – launched to help fill abandoned properties – making her one of the first was that buy a house from the scheme.

She bought three dilapidated historic fixer-uppers and paid a total of only three euros for them.

They are less than 10 minutes’ drive from each other and each required 20,000 euros ($22,000) in work to restore them to their former glory.

She plans to turn the largest property into a spa, one into an art gallery, and live in the smallest with partner, Kenneth Pitts, 65, during their retirement.

She plans to turn the largest property into a spa, one of which is an art gallery, and live in the smallest with partner, Kenneth Pitts, 65, during their retirement

She plans to turn the largest property into a spa, one of which is an art gallery, and live in the smallest with partner, Kenneth Pitts, 65, during their retirement

Rubia Daniels, 49, a solar consultant and business owner, flew to Mussomeli, Sicily, within days of learning about the ‘one euro house’ scheme in 2019 – launched to help fill abandoned properties – making her one of the first was that buy a house from the scheme

Rubia Daniels, 49, a solar consultant and business owner, flew to Mussomeli, Sicily, within days of learning about the ‘one euro house’ scheme in 2019 – launched to help fill abandoned properties – making her one of the first was that buy a house from the scheme

She bought three dilapidated historic fixer-uppers and paid a total of only three euros for them

Mussomeli in Sicily as seen on the world map

Rubia Daniels, a native of California, was one of the first to buy a house in Mussomeli, Sicily, in the spring of 2019

The whole experience went so smoothly that she ended up buying three houses: one for her and the other for her children

When she returned in the summer to begin renovations, she traveled with her husband and brother-in-law, and on her third trip in December, brought with her a group of family and friends, some of whom promptly bought themselves homes.

Views of Mussomeli, Sicilia, Italy

Daniels hopes that each home will be worth $30,000 when renovated

Daniels hopes each house will be worth $30,000 after renovation, but she has no plans to sell what she considers a “very small investment” in her future.

Daniels, a project manager, from San Francisco, California, USA, but originally from Brazil, said, “You basically get the property for free and then you’re expected to spend 20,000 euros ($22,000) to remodel the exterior.

“You don’t even get a $20,000 car in California — it’s a very small investment.

“We’ve already largely completed one when we go, and hopefully the second will be ready in October.

‘The third house, I haven’t started on that yet, but that will be my biggest project. The roof has completely collapsed – but it will be so beautiful.

“I’ve never felt overwhelmed or anxious about this project – it’s a big task but a great opportunity.”

Italy’s one-euro home scheme was launched in Sicily in 2019 as a way to help repopulate quiet areas where buildings have fallen into disuse and dereliction.

The buildings are all fixer-uppers and require investment and hard work to bring them up to par.

When Daniels first got wind of the plan the year it launched, she was fascinated — and flew to Sicily just three days later to view properties.

In June 2019, she owned three neglected houses in Mussomeli, Sicily – a small town that reminded her of her own childhood growing up in Brazil.

She said: ‘I packed up all my tools, bought a generator and pressure washer ready to go – by then my partner was thinking ‘this woman is crazy’.

“We went, and I flew my brother-in-law over from Brazil to help us with the renovation.”

They started with the smallest house first – which was in the best condition of the three and was in livable condition in no time.

For all properties, they intend to retain as many of the original features as possible, both inside and out.

The pandemic shut things down for two years – until Daniels finally managed to return to Sicily in June 2022.

Since then, Daniels and her husband have flown in every few months to continue renovating the second property, which she hopes to turn into an art gallery.

When she’s done, she’ll move into the third property – which she said will be her biggest project.

Daniels, a mother of four, said: ‘It’s a four-story corner building – it’s so beautiful.

‘It’s all beautiful. When you go into the houses you feel the history, it’s incredible – like going back in time.’

Daniels said partner Kenneth is “very positive” about the ambitious project.

She can fly to Sicily so often because her work is completely remote.

Once fully furnished, Daniels plans to list the property on Airbnb for the months she’s in the US – for some extra income.

She said, “It was a fantastic new concept for me.

‘I work in the environmental industry and to use what we already have where properties have been abandoned – it’s a great opportunity.

‘In Sicily the air is clean, the food is great – the place is just great.

‘Mussomeli is a small town but we still have hospitals, banks, pharmacies, supermarkets, bars, restaurants and a small area of ​​boutiques.

‘It’s a small city, but everything is there, you don’t have to leave the city for anything.

‘It’s only 40 minutes to the coast and there are also plenty of archaeological sites to see.

“And in the years to come, I can pass the houses on to my children.

‘This is all possible thanks to the one-euro programme.’