In a plot twist worthy of a low-budget film, George Laing stumbled upon a solid gold necklace nestled inside a humble biscuit tin, which was itself tucked away in a padlocked chest. And where did he make this extraordinary find? Inside a house purchased for the jaw-dropping price of €1. Truly, that’s less than the price of a cup of coffee — provided you don’t indulge in those hipster lattes.
At the sprightly age of 32, Laing pried open a lock (with no small amount of muscle and perhaps a few choice words) to unveil a treasure trove of jewellery worth around £4,000. This unexpected bonanza came after he participated in Italy’s ingenious scheme designed to entice intrepid souls to revamp derelict homes in picturesque, if somewhat less popular, towns. Bravo, Italy, for turning real estate into an elaborate treasure hunt!
Having left behind a chaotic life in London—which can only be likened to navigating a live-action episode of “Survivor”—Laing is now on what appears to be a winning streak. “It was something out of a movie, really. Pretty ridiculous,” he chuckled from his parents’ abode in Eastbourne, the place people usually retire to when they’re quite certain their adventures are behind them.
Half the time, Laing can be found renovating his newly acquired gem in the Sicilian hillside town of Mussomeli, which is apparently undergoing a revival after years of being the “what’s that?” in Italy’s real estate portfolio. For the price of pocket change—88 British pennies—he’s taken part in a grand quest, restoring one of the hundreds of abandoned properties that municipalities are practically begging you to take off their hands.
These sleepy hamlets—Mussomeli, Cammarata, and Sambuca—are grappling with an exodus of youth heading to the cities like it’s the last chopper out of Vietnam. Meanwhile, they’re left with crumbling family estates that are more burden than blessing. Approximately 150 one-euro homes have been snapped up in Mussomeli alone, according to Immobiliare Siciliana, the estate agent that definitely deserves a raise for their creativity.
Laing discovered this treasure trove of opportunity in 2022, while frazzled from living paycheck to paycheck in London—a cycle so vibrant it could almost qualify as a modern dance. “I was so sick of constantly surviving and not thriving,” he lamented, aptly echoing the plight of many stuck in urban living hell. Who knew that a little pandemic isolation could lead someone to gamble their future on a house straight out of a horror movie?
Fast-forward to the actual renovation, which Laing describes as “an adventure.” With zero experience—aside from perhaps casually observing a construction worker on a coffee break—he’s single-handedly tackling a three-bedroom property filled with “150 years of stuff.” We can only imagine how thrilling it is to unearth what’s presumably the town’s long-lost history in the form of dusty furniture and ancient mattresses. More charming than a museum, really!
Now, halfway through his renovation project, Laing has filled three vans with rubbish while simultaneously battling against what seems like the entire Sicilian circuit of vintage collectibles. With about £1,000 spent so far on an estimated £10,000 makeover, he’s starting to wonder if he should’ve taken a class called “Reality Check 101” before diving into this escapade. But hey, at least he made a lucrative discovery, and the house has more than paid for itself in assorted ‘treasures’ he’s either kept or sold. If it only came with free Wi-Fi!
