L.A. woman buys 17-room dream home in Sicily for the price of a used car

After nearly 15 years in Los Angeles, 28-year-old Canadian expat Kiki Leigh made a dramatic life change. She left behind city traffic, steep rent, and long commutes for a medieval Sicilian village — and a 17-room home that cost just €27,000 ($31,000). Leigh first came across the idea in June 2024, when she saw a TikTok about affordable real estate in Italy. "I booked a trip about a week later and, soon after, I was in Mussomeli looking at homes," she told Newsweek. She later began sharing her journey with followers on her TikTok account, @gucci.spice, with her latest renovation video getting over 4.6 million views.

Mussomeli, where she bought the home, is known for its castle and sweeping countryside views, a world apart from Los Angeles. The 17-room house is structurally sound but in need of extensive work, which makes it her biggest project yet. Leigh explained that renovations began in March 2025 and are expected to take about eight months. "The home needs roughly €140,000 of work. The house I’m creating is my dream home, so I will be keeping it and living there full time when it’s complete this fall," she said.

Sicily has become a destination for foreign buyers in recent years, with some towns even running "€1 home" schemes to fight depopulation. Mussomeli's deputy mayor told Business Insider in a documentary that the population of Mussomeli had dropped from around 25,000 after World War II to about 10,000, and the program proved transformative. Within five years, nearly 300 houses were sold, which is about 95% of the one-euro home inventory, fueling a tenfold surge in tourism and drawing in remote workers and new residents from abroad.

Meanwhile, properties like Leigh’s offer striking affordability; for her, though, it was not only about the money. "This is the house I’ve always dreamed of. It’s not an investment to flip; it’s where I want to live," she said. Leigh has been documenting the transformation of the house, sharing videos of its ongoing renovations. "It’s taken 13 months to get to this point. But only 4-ish months of renovations. When I bought this house, it had castle views, 600+ years of history, and basically nothing salvageable. It’s still not finished, but it’s finally starting to feel like a home not just a wild idea. Buying property in a medieval Sicilian village isn’t always easy, but it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made." she wrote in a recent video.

Viewers who have been following her journey shared their excitement in the comments. "I hope this inspires others to move to tiny villages and renovate these wonderful houses, Italy’s full of these hidden treasures," wrote @g.georgina_. @mikesil08 said, "Literally living mine and my brother’s dream. Our family is from Sicily, and I was fortunate enough to get to see some of it, and I’ve wanted to go back ever since." @alleytoavenue commented, "This is amazing, and what an opportunity! I also live in Italy, and so I know construction materials are absurdly expensive, but you’re killin me with those ultra modern floors." @oh_lottie chimed in, "I’m so invested and inspired. It’s going to be breathtaking — so much room and such an interesting layout."

You can follow Kiki Leigh (@gucci.spice) on TikTok for more updates on the house.

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