If you like the sound of living in peace and quiet, far from big cities and without a care in the world, then perhaps a traditional village surrounded by some of Spain's most remote countryside is just what you're looking for. Known as "la España Vaciada", or 'empty Spain' is proving a more attractive option for many in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the latest and most curious proposals to attract people to Spain's countryside villages comes from Olvés, a small municipality in the Calatayud region (Zaragoza) in the region of Aragón.
This Aragonese town is calling for people interested in taking over the community centre and the only bar in the town, after the departure of the previous managers of the establishment.
It is the only meeting point for the 70 residents of the village and that is why the local council is offering a free house and an exemption from paying rent for the premises in order to attract interest. The mayor of the municipality, Iluminada Ustero, has also agreed to pay for the heating of the premises and half of the electricity bill; all of this in order to ensure that the service is maintained and to give an opportunity to all those people who have lost their jobs or have suffered a significant reduction in income as a result of COVID-19, especially for many professionals in the hotel and catering sector.
The ideal target audience stated by the Council is a family (it ensures that there are also jobs in the area and school transport), although it is open to any proposal. The only other requirement is the potential owners of the bar and community centre must register as self-employed (autónomos), in order to operate within the law.
The offer has certainly caught the attention of dozens of families and individual citizens, and in just a matter of days, the Olvés Council has received requests for information and applications from different parts of Spain (such as Seville, Cordoba, Malaga, Madrid and San Sebastian), as well as several enquiries from abroad.