German Firm Buys Tuscan Hamlet

A German company has bought up an entire town in Northern Italy, with plans to convert it into a giant "holiday world" resort. The Guardian reports that Hanover-based tour giant TUI payed upwards of $340 million for the 13th-century Tuscan village of Tenuta di Castelfalfi, whose crumbling ramparts, squares and villas now house just five citizens.

TUI says its planned resort—its largest ever—will house 3,200 guests in an area already teeming with Teutonic tourists. Everything but the church is part of the deal. But not everyone is thrilled: "The Germans have conquered our village!" the local paper thundered. (More Tuscany stories.)