The watery appeal to home buyers in Europe's empty villages

In Italy, southern France and Spain, cooler higher areas with better water supply or higher rainfall are seeing an increase in newcomers buying homes. (Image: Depositphotos)

Bloomberg

Sat, 02 Dec 2023

By Rachel SandersonIf you are one of the millions who made Netflix’s big-budget adaptation of Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel All the Light We Cannot See, one of the most-watched shows on the streamer last month, you will have been treated to some lush historical backdrops for the World War II romance.Most of the outdoor scenes – rain-splashed cobbled streets, gothic crème de menthe-coloured doorways and the obligatory wood-panelled sweet shop – were filmed in the southern French town of Villefranche-...

Subscribe to BusinessDesk

Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.

Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers

You can cancel anytime with two clicks, an email or a phone call.
Find out more.

We are serious about journalism.

Name {{ registerForm.errors.get('name') }}

Email address {{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}

Phone Number {{ registerForm.errors.get('phone') }}

Job Title {{ registerForm.errors.get('title') }}

Password Minimum password length of 8 characters.
Require at least one upper and lowercase, numeric, and special character. {{ registerForm.errors.get('password') }}

Repeat password {{ registerForm.errors.get('password_confirmation') }}

We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.

Credit Card

Cardholder's name

{{ __(plans[index].name) | capitalize }} {{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }} {{ plans[index].price | currency }}

All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.

I Accept The Terms Of Service

{{ registerForm.errors.get('terms') }}

Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}

Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}