ATHENS – There’s a catch, of course, but Greece will pay $20,000 and give a free house to people willing to move to the faraway island of Antikythera north of Crete to boost the population, if you can put up with perhaps too much quiet and beauty.

In a review of the program the site The Travel said that the idea to is lure families to live there permanently because there’s only 24 people there now, although it soars to 40 in the summer, so to speak.

https://www.thetravel.com/how-to-get-paid-to-move-to-greece-antikythera-island

The island is renowned for the discovery of the Antikythera Mechanism, an ancient kind of analogue computer used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses and was found in a shipwreck off the island in 1901.

The island is only eight square miles and has seen its population steadily decline over the past few decades, from about 300 in 1984, and Greece is seeing a continuing fall in births.

The initiative is organized by the Greek Orthodox Church of Kythera, which has established the criteria for this incentive program, the site said, the tiny island having the kind of quiet charm lost to overtourism on places such as Santorini.

“It’s Greece, so beautiful Greek beach towns, white buildings, azure ocean views, and idyllic scenery are a given. Antikythera’s pristine beaches and sparkling blue waters will entice water lovers and snorkelers, but not many people actually know about this place,” the report said.

There’s also hills and caves for hiking and exploring and with so few people you don’t have to worry about noise or crowds, apart from herds of wild goats that outnumber the residents and even the tourists.

According to island history, this was inhabited as far back as 4,000 B.C. and there’s also a fort built by pirates between 300 and 100 BC that is still standing today but you might want to think about the move, the report added.

The offer is limited to just five families meeting criteria, and that includes having at least four children – it wasn’t said what would happen about schooling – nor was it added whether you have to be married.

The $20,000 will be paid out monthly for the first three years of living there and the winning applicants also get a house that will be newly built although construction hasn’t started yet.

It wasn’t clear whether the families would be the owners or just allowed to live in the homes as long as they are there, and the Church is also looking for peope with skills or a trade, such as baking or fishing.

Applications can be submitted to the local council on the island on its website that provides a phone number for information 00302736033004. Applications will be followed by interviews to determine which families will participate.

But among considerations, the report said, is being able to adapt to remote living with limited access to medical care, culture, education and job opportunities and accessibility off the island.

There is an almost daily ferry service from Antikythera and Kythera – the ride takes about two hours each way. There’s also a boat service to Antikythera from Crete and Athens, but these are less frequent and less reliable, the report said.

Kythera has a small airport that offers flights to Athens, which take about an hour each way and that island has a population of about 3,600 – but also shrinking, but more services are available, such as restaurants.

“For those who don’t mind the cons of living on a remote Greek island (one that’s extremely stunning, of course) and who qualify for the paid relocation incentive program, Antikythera could be the perfect piece of paradise to call home and raise a family,” the report said, but you’d be better be ready to live off the grid.