Whitewashing history

That is until the northern Europeans came looking for authentic, quaint, holiday houses to do up. "So, iconic. One has to help preserve the cultural heritage after all - in law they re classed as National Monuments - and when the locals just let them tumble down ... ... ... ..."
Many were bought and tarted up during the housing boom years, which has resulted in huge price rises. Unfortunately the foreigners no longer have the cash to buy them, and many who might are put off both by the draconian "rebuild it as it was originally" planning regulations and by the canny peasant's out-of-date perception of the value of rubble. Still, they will be around for a while as modern building regs require them to be earthquake proof, unlike the originals.Read more