Italian town offers up to 100 Britons huge cash incentives to relocate

The city, with a population of 50,000, is best known for being the inspiration for Antonio Vivaldi's masterpiece The Four Seasons.

Vivaldi lived in the city for three years as Maestro di Cappella of the court of prince Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Now, authorities in the city hope the scheme will help mitigate the problems of having an ageing population.

The town council has a total of €400,000 for the initiative, €200,000 of which will be distributed this year and €200,000 more in 2024.

Mayor Mattia Palazzi said: "If we add the ageing of the population to the data on the falling birth rate, in most Italian cities in the next few years there will be more people who are not working than those who are working.

“We need to increase the resident population for the next few years, increasing the number of people who work and produce income to allow the municipality to handle public welfare spending.”

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The money will be used to provide rent contributions for those who take up residence in the city. New inhabitants will receive €150 a month towards their rent.

In order to be eligible for the financial assistance, those interested must sign a rental contract for at least a year.

Authorities have said they will accept around 100 applications a year for the grants.

The scheme is open to both families and individuals but is aimed at professionals with salaries of around €1,200-€1,500 per month, although an income threshold has not yet been officially announced.

Mayor Palazzi added: "There will be many new job offers in the next two years.

"There are several companies that are investing and are establishing themselves in Mantua, particularly in the logistics sector.

Palazzi also emphasised new investments in school and municipal nursery schools that are available free of charge.

Applications for the scheme will be available towards the end of summer.