The government of Sardinia is offering grants of up to €15,000 (£12,700) as an incentive for those considering a move to the idyllic Italian island

Officials have prepared £38 million for the initiative which aims to help entice people to rural areas of Italy and bolster commerce in small towns as the region is suffering from a dwindling population and shrinking economy because younger generations are travelling to large cities for work.  

Sardinian President Christian Solinas said in a statement: ‘Thanks to these contributions to [homebuyers’] first houses, [Sardinia] becomes fertile ground for those who will move there or decide to build a family.

‘There can be no growth without a real enhancement of the territories, of the interior and most disadvantaged areas, which must pass through new policies for their repopulation.

‘We have created the conditions for young people to decide to stay and develop the economic fabric of the most fragile territories.’

The attractive grants come as part of a nationwide scheme designed to encourage people to buy ageing houses, renovate them and start new businesses to rejuvenate small communities in the Italian countryside.

Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean and has over 1,000 miles of sandy beaches, picturesque port towns and bronze-age ruins built as far back as 1,500 BC.