As autumn settles in and the weather becomes increasingly chilly, many of us may be fantasising about leaving the wet and cold of Britain in favour of sunnier climes overseas.
But for Jonathan Smith, a 38-year-old man from the outskirts of Manchester, this fleeting daydream became his reality.
For years, Jonathan had toyed with the idea of buying a second property abroad. He had quietly saved while working in the hospitality industry, living well below his means, in the hopes of eventually affording a dream holiday home – with a dream climate to boot.
But as the cost of living and crime rates escalated in the UK, he began to wonder: why not make his holiday house his home, all year round? And so, ‘Operation Sicily’ began.
In 2024, Jonathan left behind life in Manchester, bought a property abroad for just €21,500 (£18,701) – at an €80,000 (£69,406) discount – and has spent the past six months renovating an abandoned Sicilian villa, making it fit for purpose for both himself and his family.
Here’s how he brought his Dolce Vita to life for less than €100,000 (£88,187), and why he believes anyone yearning for change should also take the leap.
Jonathan Smith, a 38-year-old man from the outskirts of Manchester, made his decision as the cost of living and crime rates escalated in the UK
He began to wonder: why not make his holiday house his home, all year round? And so, ‘Operation Sicily’ began
Location, Location, Location
In his original vision of life abroad, Jonathan had his heart set on a rustic Grecian home. However, with an average property price of approximately €325,080 (£282,725), he was forced to reconsider in order to stay within the €50,000 (£43,492) he had allocated for his initial property purchase.
He explains how he considered alternative destinations, including Portugal and Spain, before eventually stumbling upon Sicily.
‘[Sicily] felt like quite a mysterious place to me,’ Jonathan recalls. ‘I don’t hear many people talk about [it], and I didn’t know any that had been [there].’
Weighing up the pros and cons of each of these Mediterranean options, it was food that eventually became the deciding factor. Sicily, with its enticing dining options of fresh pasta and pizza, was crowned the destination of choice.
Sicilian life
Jonathan spent the following six months travelling the island’s coastline to find the property of his dreams.
‘I wanted to really look at the different areas,’ he says. ‘I didn’t want to be impulsive, so I spent quite a bit of time getting the right location.’
Eventually, he settled on Mazara del Vallo on Sicily’s west coast, charmed by the town’s bustling centre, and its proximity to amenities such as high street shops.
Mazara del Vallo is also only an hour’s drive from Palermo airport, or 40 minutes from Trapani-Birgi airport, from where he can fly directly back to Manchester to see his partner and two children, aged six and 13, during renovations.
Bagging the property
In order to stay within his €50,000 property purchase budget (distinct from his €50,000 renovation budget), Jonathan decided to view distressed or abandoned properties in the Mazara del Vallo area, listed up to €100,000. From there, he would negotiate 40 to 60 per cent lower than the asking price.
‘This level of negotiation won’t be for everyone,’ he concedes, ‘but it was the only way to hit my budget.’
In order to stay within his €50,000 property purchase budget, Jonathan decided to view distressed or abandoned properties in the Mazara del Vallo area
Indeed, after finding his would-be home listed on the market for €100,000 (where it had sat for the previous five years), he initially offered €20,000 (£17,397), before he and the owner settled on €21,500 (£18,701) – keeping Jonathan well within budget, and securing almost €78,500 (£68,282) in savings.
Admin nightmares
Many will be put off moving abroad on account of the feared administrative nightmare it may entail – particularly following the UK’s departure from the European Union. However, Jonathan explains that in the case of Italy, the process of both buying property and obtaining a visa was ‘not complicated at all’.
As a UK resident, buying Italian property requires simply acquiring a tax code (Codice Fiscale) from the Italian consulate (located throughout the country in London, Edinburgh, Dublin and Manchester, where Jonathan visited).
After this is issued, and a formal offer has been made on a property, the buyer needs to hire a notary to perform due diligence and complete the sale.
‘It’s as simple as that,’ says Jonathan. ‘Six weeks from now, you could own a property in Italy.’
Jonathan’s property itself is in a rural farming area, located ten minutes away from both the sea and the town centre. There is a 1,000sq m garden filled with various fruit trees, where he also plans to build a pool – much to the delight of his six-year-old son.
With regards to visas, Jonathan currently holds an Elective Residence Visa for non-EU citizens, sometimes referred to a Long-Stay Visa, which he renews annually. He explains how the visa is designed for those who wish to spend extended periods in Italy, and can support themselves financially – without taking local employment. He describes the process as having been entirely ‘straightforward’ thus far. When his partner and children move over to Italy after the renovation process is complete, they will join Jonathan under the family-reunification option linked to his visa. ‘It’s actually a simple process once the main visa is in place,’ he says. ‘[It] allows the whole family to live here legally while we transition toward permanent residency.’
Renovation
Having spent his career working in hospitality, Jonathan had never so much as set foot inside a building site before beginning Operation Sicily. Although he concedes he is ‘naturally good with his hands’, he began renovation work with little more than basic DIY skills.
Jonathan has spent the past six months renovating the abandoned Sicilian villa, making it fit for purpose for both himself and his family
Having spent his career working in hospitality, Jonathan had never so much as set foot inside a building site before beginning Operation Sicily
He explains how internet tutorials became a key resource during the process.
‘I’ve sort of learned as I’ve gone along’, he says, ‘watching YouTube videos, researching, and you know, looking into different things.’
‘You learn from your mistakes too,’ he continues. ‘And if you don’t plan far enough in advance, you might have to do stuff twice. It’s all just part of the process.’
Staying local
Despite not speaking Italian himself, Jonathan explains what a big help local people have been to his project.
‘The neighbours have a lent a hand here and there,’ he says, ‘especially with some of the heavier lifting and traditional building tips. One of the nearby farmers even brought his tractor round to help cut the grass,’
He also notes that the younger generation have provided help with translation too.
Beyond this, though, Jonathan has been overwhelmed by the emotional and moral support he has received from the members of the community.
‘The people are absolutely lovely,’ he says. ‘They are really supportive, because they don’t want to see these properties abandoned forever.
‘It’s a small farming community, so people are always stopping by to check on progress, offer advice or simply say ciao – and they often drop off local products like olive oil, honey, oranges and figs, which is really nice.’
Indeed, he explains how connected the property remains to those around him: ‘When my elderly neighbour was a child, his dad sold the land to the person who would then build the house. He and his dad planted the olive trees still here today.’
YouTube
But beyond the provision of DIY tutorials, YouTube has played another major role in Operation Sicily. Jonathan decided to film his journey for the purpose of documentation; he liked the idea that his children would be able to watch the process when they were older.
‘It was important for me to document it for my young children,’ he says. ‘My youngest boy is six, so I wanted them to look back in later life and see all the hard work and sacrifice and dedication behind it – not for them to think we just bought a villa.’
However, interest in Jonathan’s project quickly began to extend beyond his family circle.
Despite the fact that he had never intended to become a content creator – or really for anyone else to watch his videos other than his family and friends – at the time of writing, Jonathan’s YouTube channel, Operation Sicily, has more than 39,000 subscribers, a number that continues to grow today. He has been blown away by the response.
‘There’s literally so many… inspiring and kind messages,’ he says, reflecting on the response to his channel.
‘It’s my first time talking to a camera all the time, and when I first started recording, I did get properly nervous.
‘There’s a big difference though now, from when my first videos went live, and my videos now – which are much more polished and better quality.’
Advice to others
What Jonathan continues to notice, though, is how many of his viewers express a desire to take a similar plunge to the one he’s made.
‘So many people say that they wish had done this. And they feel like it’s too late.
‘And then there’s people that say that wish they could take that risk – and they come up with loads of excuses, like not leaving their house or car or stuff.
‘But I feel like I’ve made the right decision.’
In fact, not only does Jonathan believe he’s made the right decision – but he firmly encourages anyone else who has a hankering to spread their wings to do the same.
‘Just take the risk,’ he says. ‘For me, there’s nothing worse than a feeling of thinking: I wish I’d done that.
‘If you do take a risk, it’s either going to work out, or it won’t. But if you never take that risk, you’ll never know.’
Follow Jonathan’s renovation diaries on @OperationSicily on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
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